Doily Wreath

This is a fun summer project to get you prepped for the holidays or to simply use as an accent for the perfect decor!  I can envision this with red, white and blue accents for the July fouth celebration as well. They emulate a firework display with the lights!  A beautiful  white paper doily wreath highlighted with holiday lights.  It has the holiday appeal of snowflakes, fireworks or soft elegance!



What you will need:
24-inch wreath form
30-inch wreath form
24-gauge wire
Scissors
White spray paint
20-foot strand of white holiday lights in a white theme strand
Paper bouquet holders (try ten 8.8-inch ones, twenty 6.4-inch ones, twenty 4.8-inch ones, and fifty 3.2-inch ones

Directions:

Step 1
Working on a covered surface, lay a 24-inch wreath form inside a 30-inch one. Attach them with 24-gauge wire at 6 to 8 evenly spaced points.

Step 2
In a ventilated area, coat combined wreath form with white spray paint. Let dry.

Step 3
Wrap wreath in zig zag form with a 20-foot strand of white holiday lights (test lights beforehand), leaving the plug end unwrapped (as much as is needed to plug in).

Step 4
With scissors, widen the center-hole slits slightly in paper bouquet holders (we used 10 8.8-inch ones, 20 6.4-inch ones, 20 4.8-inch ones, and 50 3.2-inch ones). Poke a finger through center hole of each bouquet holder (from front to back) to create openings large enough to accommodate a light bulb.

Step 5

Beginning with largest ones, place bouquet holders evenly around wreath, slipping a light through each hole so that bulb bases, not bulbs, rest against paper. (From time to time, hang wreath, and step back to ensure that the arrangement is balanced and attractive.)

Step 6
Add remaining bouquet holders in descending size order. Use smallest bouquet holders to cover centers of larger ones and to fill in any gaps. Hang near an outlet. Unplug when unattended.

hCG diet - day 9

Well, I've hit that brick wall and have now been on a plateau for two days.  I have not been over eating but on the same hand was not doing any bicycling or swimming as I was the days prior so maybe the lack of those two things is the reason.  Plus I did have those veggies sautéd in oil a couple days ago along with the chicken on the bone and 3 small candies which could of been the reason to start the plateau.  I can't blame the hCG as I have not been following their agenda for food to eat 100% plus I had the chicken on the bone along with the veggies sautéd in oil.  That could of been my fall-out right there.  But I've done the extreme low calorie diets in the past and know that practically starving myself is not the answer either, as that just screws up my system.  


I think my next game plan is to continue the hCG pills for one more week and then if I see no results for getting past this plateau, then I am going to go off of the capsules and start the stabilization phase.  I'm just pleased that I have lost about eight pounds so far.  Today my plan is to go for a bike ride and then do some swimming.   We will see if that makes a difference.  I wanted to start lifting weights on about day eleven or twelve.  I did not want to do it at the start of the diet, as I wanted to see what this hCG did without weight lifting.... sort of as a test market.   So, now that I have hit the plateau, I think I will start the weight lifting today or tomorrow.  


Here is a little history about hCG that I found in my reading... British physician Dr. Simeons discovered back in the 1930s, the idea that daily hCG hormone injections might assist people in losing weight. At the time, doctors had discovered and reported success treating children with Frohlich's syndrome (which is a condition marked by obesity and slow development of the reproductive organs) by giving them injections of gonadotropin derived from pregnant women's urine.  I did read from Dr. Simeons that he decided to experiment with giving the gonadotropin (it would later come to be called HCG) to people who were obese but did not have Frohlich's syndrome. When he did so, his patients' appetites diminished and the circumference of their hips and waists decreased -- even though they did not lose weight.


One thing that I have to say is that according to the hype, hCG is suppose to help diminish the woozy and weak feeling that people get on a low calorie diet.  I would have to say that I have not been feeling woozy or weak during these past seven days.  I am drinking a lot of water during this diet.  It could be that I have not been feeling that weak or woozy because I have been eating for lunch and dinner a lot of yellow, orange and red peppers plus the broccoli to fill me up.   As soon as I wake up, I try to take two capsules and then lay in bed for awhile, or if I forget then I take it once I get up and moving.  I'll have some coffee (with Truvia in it since I am only allowed a tablespoon which I save the dairy for my veggie/fruit smoothie at night) but I try to leave at least 20-30 minutes after the capsules before I eat anything.  I am feeling thinner than before my vacation (which I am only a couple pounds lighter from that weight at that time).  In fact, it could be all in my head but I do feel that my upper arms feel "thinner" along with my belly area unlike prior when I was that same weight.  So perhaps the hCG is allowing the fat burning to come off of areas that make a difference?    Who the heck knows, it is all assumptions.  


I mentioned a veggie/fruit smoothie earlier.  I have that after dinner if I feel hungry.  Which I make with a "Organic Power Greens Super Mix."  This mix is made by Earthbound Farm and consists of spinach, red and green chard and baby kale.  I take about a 1/2 cup of water and blend with a big handful of these power greens.  Once they are to the consistency of juice, I then add about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of crushed ice to the blender, 1 tablespoon of milk or plain yogurt (which is what I saved from the morning allotment referring to what the hCG activator says I could of added to my coffee earlier in the day), 3 frozen strawberries and a splash of plain unsweetened applesauce.  I also add some Truvia to taste.  This is like a dessert for me as well.  The hCG activator says to use Sccharin or Stevia.  I like Stevia but can't always get my hands on it so I substitue Truvia instead.  It is a natural zero calorie sweetener.  


Well, anyway, I am looking to try this one more week along with the stabilization period and see what my results will be then.  

Middle Age Wisdom

I got a kick out of this!

hCG diet - day 7

Well, I am tickled to report that I lost another pound and a half this morning!  Whoot, whoot!  But, I was bad today because for dinner my family had my potatoes, carrots and onion sautéd in grape seed oil...  so I took the carrots and onions and skipped the potato for my portion of veggies.  I also had some squash.   I'm sure the veggies sautéd in oil will come back to bite me in the butt.   Also, I had chicken on the bone instead of a simple boneless breast.  I have not been calorie counting to the tee but have been eating a lot of veggies.  I was also naughty as my daughter bought some bulk candies and I had two now-and-laters along with a toffee for desert. I'm sure this part of falling off of the wagon will be the nail in the coffin.