We've got one more fun project for you before Easter hops on in, and it's another one you can get your little bunnies and chickies involved with!

Several years ago, I made 3oo to 400 of these fun cookie suckers for the volunteers who were serving on Easter weekend in my church preschool.  Yeah, it was a pretty big church with LOTS of preschoolers!

I can still vividly remember staying up until 3 am, swirling and twirling the dough into cookie suckers on sticks, wrapped up in a treat bag and tied with a ribbon.  Even though it was exhausting, my main memory is that it was a really fun project!

Let me show you how to make these so you can enjoy them too!  I used a vegan cookie dough recipe this time, but the recipe I used to use is a rich one with cream cheese that's usually called play doh cookie dough.

I want to experiment with other vegan cookie recipes, since this one spread a tiny bit more than I would have liked, but it held up surprisingly well.  You just need a basic sugar cookie dough that will stay together and be pliable while you're rolling it out into a snake.  If it's too soft, it'll fall apart, but if it's too stiff it will crack instead of roll.

Whatever cookie recipe you prefer, make a couple of batches, then divide it up and mix in your favorite paste food colorings.  I like to use 4 different colors of  dough for each cookie, but you could use more or less.  That's the beauty of this project: you can use your imagination and do whatever you feel like!

After the dough is made, refrigerate it overnight or until very cold, then start rolling!  This is where you call in the kids to help.

I use the bigger end of my melon baller to scoop out the dough, and then roll it lightly in my hands until it's semi-round.  My balls were probably close to 1″ in diameter, but I didn't measure.  The key is to make the balls the same size and use the same number of balls per cookie so that they all bake evenly.

Once you have the balls made, chill them again.  If you start out with soft warm dough, you'll have a hard time rolling it out.  When the dough is cold, take 4 balls of any color and line them up in your hand.

Gently roll the  balls together between your palms so they start to mingle and get happy with each other.

Then lay the dough onto your work surface and gently form it into a snake.  I thoroughly cleaned my granite counter, and it worked great for rolling.

Keep gently rolling until you have a dough snake about a foot long, more or less.

As I'm rolling it, I like to roll one end one way, and the other end the other way.  That's how you get the swirled candy cane effect.

If the dough breaks, just mash it back together.  No one will ever know!  Now start coiling the snake around itself until you get to the end.

Add a sucker stick, and you have a finished cookie sucker ready to bake.

Repeat with the rest of the balls.  If you don't have cookie sticks, just bake the cookies as is.

If you want to, you can add a sprinkle of colored sparkly sugar before you bake, like I did in the cookie below.

I like to insert the cooled cookie suckers into a treat bag that will fit, and tie on a little ribbon bow.  These make great gifts for your friends, neighbors and coworkers, and would be a really cute addition to your Easter table or to a special someone's Easter basket!

Happy Easter!

~BigSis

Posted under Food

We've been talking about beauty and skin care products a lot recently, so I have to ask a question that's been on my mind. I want to be transparent, so I'm not going to hide this vulnerability. Tell me I'm not the only one who suffers from this anxiety and insecurity. Please tell me. Here's how it goes. I have to go into a department store to pick up one of my can't-live-without-products, like the foundation I finally found that covers just the right amount AND doesn't cause any breakouts AND matches my skintone AND isn't too dewy or too matte.

Prescriptives Flawless

This should be a quick little errand, right? Bing bang boom. Wrong.

For me, it causes dread and a serious amount of anxiety that sees me looking on the Area 52 website to find something that can help me relax. Because I know that when I – a normal, confident, professional woman – march up to the counter with my request, I'm going to feel like the Hunchback of Notre Dame with a bad case of leprosy within minutes. I can't just pay for my purchase and leave. No, no, no, that would be too easy. The salesperson has to try to up-sell me or cross-sell me, or whatever the heck they call it. I'm bombarded by:

“Have you tried our new eye cream? It really works on those wrinkles and puffiness and crow's feet”.

“Would you like to make an appointment for me to give you a makeover, dear?”

“Do you use our new wrinkle-erasing-lifting-super-duper-youth-restoring-magical-miracle-night-cream? I think it would really help you. Let me give you a sample!”

“Would you like for me to recommend a product to help with that redness/those wrinkles/that dryness/your oiliness?”

By the time I slink away to my car, I feel like the most flawed woman ever to approach the counter. Now, in my mind, I'm droopy, dehydrated, shiny, dry, red, pale, wrinkly, baggy, saggy, and puffy. All at once! In reality, I do have my own little challenges like every woman does, but usually I'm content with what I have to work with. Not overjoyed, (I AM forty-something, for cryin' out loud) but content.

So I'm wondering. Is it just me who feels like a frappin' troll after they've just handed over their hard-earned money for a product? Should we pay for someone to insult us? Maybe it's worse for me since I had skin problems as a teenager, and so I'm over-sensitive to salespersons' “suggestions”? Maybe the dermatological afflictions scarred my self-esteem more than my skin, and I'm still reeling from it years (and years) later, even though I spent a bajillion dollars last year for six Fraxel laser treatments, and my skin is in better shape than it has been since I was 12 years old? I have the feeling that my anxiety, insecurity and paranoia in this area are more common than I know. Does anyone share this with me, or do I need to get in touch with someone like www.PsychCompany.com and arrange some psychotherapy? Give me some support, sisters, before I bow to the pressure to make all my purchases online!

~BigSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

At age 52, I finally got my first Botox. I had needed it for a long time, since my crows feet were pretty bad. I was procrastinating because…well, I don't know why I put it off. I obviously shouldn't have! Just take a look for yourself.

Sagginess…

crepiness…

and wrinkles. Oh, my!

Wow! I skerd myself! In defense of my poor eyes though, I do have to say these “before” photos were taken after I got a makeover from a makeup artist. I had masses of concealer and powder piled up under my eyes which accentuated the wrinkles. They were still my wrinkles – I have to own up to them – but they were looking especially heinous with all that makeup gooped upon them.

Also notice the skimpy eyelashes. My lashes aren't uber-short, but they definitely lacked fullness, and a little extra length would be nice.

I absolutely noticed the wrinkles, sags, bags and crepey skin every time I looked in the mirror, and finally addressed it with a very conservative bit of Botox in early December. I actually wished my doctor had been slightly more aggressive with it, but it's a start and I think it absolutely helped. That's not to say that other women might not have success with some of the Best Face Oils For Anti Aging and other products like it, they do! For me personally, I felt like this was my best option.

If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't have waited so long for my first foray into Botoxland. It was relatively inexpensive, and the procedure was a piece of cake.

There were 3 tiny – I mean tiny – little needle pricks around each eye. I'm not freaked out by needles, but even if you are, I still think this process is really non-threatening. Just don't look when the needles come out to play. 😀 It was totally worth it to me, and I'll keep doing it as long as there is no revelation about Botox causing cancer or something equally disturbing.

While I was at the doctor's office, I also talked to a rep for Allergan, the company who makes Latisse. They were offering a $100 rebate on the product, which pretty much paid to fill the first prescription. Insurance doesn't cover Latisse, of course, since it's a cosmetic item.

My first prescription for Latisse cost me about $114, and was supposed to cover 30 days' application of the product. Instead of one drop per eye per night though, the nurse in my doctor's office suggested that one drop shared between both eyes is plenty. That's how I've been using it, and that first round of Latisse is just now almost gone nearly 3 months later. That works out to less than $1 a day.

I'm not a doctor so I can't recommend that you use Latisse as I did, but I can tell you what I did and that the shared drop per night seemed to be adequate for me. I think that using one drop per eye would have been wasteful overkill with dripping excess to wipe away.

I haven't had any side effects from Latisse, but you should consider them before you try it. The most-publicized potential issue is that light brown, green or hazel eyes can permanently change to a darker brown. From what I understand, that is only a rare risk when Latisse is used to treat glaucoma, which involves using the product in the eye, not on the skin around it.

That explains what I did. So how do those scary eyes look now after a little Botox here…

and there…

and some Latisse each night?

These aren't 20 year old eyes, but I'm not 20. These eyes have seen things and been through things, and they're entitled to a few earned war wounds. Maturity isn't an easy road, and getting there can leave a little evidence of the journey, right?

They're still my 52 year old eyes, but they're not quite as scary as before. These “after” photos were taken with no concealer, foundation or powder, so you can still see little imperfections like brown spots, but you don't see the previous horror. Hurray! As the years pass, it seems that it is deemed more acceptable for the average person to undertake such treatments. Trends in cosmetic surgery have evolved with more people improving on what they have. In fact, this source here shows the statistics of cosmetic surgery throughout the world in recent years.

In these photos I had about 8 weeks of Latisse behind me, and the full effect is supposedly reached at 16 weeks. At 4 weeks, I could already see longer lashes, and now they are thicker as well.

If you ask me if Botox reduces wrinkles, I say absolutely ‘yes'. And if you wonder if Latisse really works and grows longer and thicker eyelashes, I say ‘yes' again. I don't foresee ever getting a facelift, but I'll keep doing these little tweaks because they work. To me they're no-brainers. There's no cutting, no downtime, and the expense isn't prohibitive. It feels good to be doing a little something to fend off the ravages of time, but still look like me.

Now I need to tweak those brown spots…

~BigSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

Well, BigSis, you know that I LOVE music as much as you do and don't go anywhere without my iPod! It's with me on walks and bike rides, it's with me at the gym, I take it to the beach, and it's fully integrated in my car so I just plug it in inside the glove box. I take my speaker/docking station with me everywhere; to my art studio, to the boat, to the bathroom, etc… BUT, I hate to say it…I don't have any Christmas music downloaded to my iPod.

For some reason, I've just never taken the time to import any Christmas CDs. It would be great to have all my favorite songs off of all the different CDs put into one great Christmas playlist.

Last year, we had a Christmas party, so I bought a couple of new CDs.

One was Barenaked Ladies, Barenaked for the Holidays. (Great name, right?)  It's a pretty good CD. Very nontraditional versions of some all-time favorites.

Barenaked for the Holidays

The other was a compilation CD from Starbucks called Stockings By the Fire.  It has some old favorites like Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, but also some newer artists like Sarah McLachlan and John Legend.

Stockings by the Fire

I've got a good one that I bought in 2006 called The Perfect Christmas from Bath and Body Works to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The Perfect Christmas

Most of our other Christmas CDs are all compilation CDs that we've collected throughout the years.  This year, I think I'll break down and finally get the Elvis Christmas Album.

Elvis Christmas Album

I LOVE Elvis Christmas music! So, that's just a sampling of what's in our Christmas music collection. I'm glad you asked about the iPod. I can't wait til you get yours up and running. I better get busy importing some CDs.

~LilSis

Posted under Holidays

Flickr photo by Abby Lanes

Just in case you've forgotten or haven't already seen the masses of pink products popping up in retail stores, today kicks off National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM). This year marks the 25th year that October has been designated as NBCAM.

Wikipedia describes NBCAM as an annual international health campaign organized by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its' cause, prevention and cure. The campaign also offers information and support to those affected by breast cancer.

As well as providing a platform for breast cancer charities to raise awareness of their work and of the disease, BCAM is also a prime opportunity to remind women to be breast-aware for earlier detection.

For those of you that were reading us last October, you know that Susan G. Komen for the Cure is one of my favorite charities. I've been participating in the Race for the Cure for several years now and it's always such a great event. There's something about the story of Susan G. Komen and her sister, Nancy Brinker that has always been close to my heart. What Nancy Brinker has accomplished with the Susan G. Komen Foundation never ceases to amaze me. I talked recently about Nancy Brinker receiving the Medal of Freedom, the Nation's highest civilian honor.

Our family has been very fortunate so far, not to have been effected personally by this disease, but with the staggering number of women diagnosed with breast cancer every day, it could happen to any one of us, whether genetic or not. I hate to admit it, but since BigSis and I are both in peri-menopause, there are a lot of factors that can contribute to increased odds of getting breast cancer.

I go to my gynecologist every January for my annual check up just so that it's easy to remember when it's time to go. And, I've always followed up and scheduled my mammogram right after that appointment. With so much happening in our lives these past two and a half years, I've gotten off track and missed my mammogram.

There's just no excuse for that! I've been so mad at myself for letting ‘life' get in the way of making a simple phone call to set up an appointment. I found my doctor's order in my planner from January, so I picked up the phone this morning and scheduled my mammogram.

We'll be talking more about NBCAM throughout this month, but I would like for today to be a reminder to anyone who's procrastinated, like I have, to pick up the phone and schedule your mammogram.

Oh, and if you're a football fan, don't be surprised this Sunday when you see some of the NFL players sporting some hot pink gloves, sweatbands, towels, and even cleats! The idea for the cleats came from Carolina Panthers running back, DeAngelo Williams. Williams has a personal interest in breast cancer, as his mother was diagnosed in 2004. His mother is now in remission, but she lost all three of her sisters to breast cancer.

It really is true that each individual can make a difference in their own special way. For anyone with a blog or Twitter account, you can help spread awareness by going Pink for October. Check out my Twitter @lilsisca.

~LilSis

Posted under Health

Yikes!  Swimsuit season has snuck up on us again?  Wasn't it just Christmas??  I know I keep saying that, but seriously, didn't 2009 just begin, like 5 minutes ago?

Flickr photo by Glorius

Whether I'm ready for it or not, swimsuit season is here.  And when it comes to my health and fitness level, I'm having some of the same challenges as you, LilSis.   I've got stress in my world and we know that triggers the nasty little hormone called cortisol, which does it's darndest to make you fat.  I also have the “getting older” factor which means hormonal stuff and slowing metabolism, on top of my thyroid issues.  Plus I love spicy and salty foods, so I'm always trying to dodge a mexican food or pizza or chip ‘n' dip disaster!

In spite of all that, I'm determined to be as healthy as possible, and to not use any of these real challenges as excuses for slacking off.  I'm up to 8 or 10 hard workouts a week, and I'm trying to be extra-careful about my eating.  I still feel as though I'm barely maintaining though, and that my body is really wanting to pack on some extra pounds.  It's frustrating that I used to get by with 3 or 4 workouts a week and ate much more, but was in better physical condition.  I guess that's the reality that we women all have to face, right?  We may as well accept it and try to find some solutions that work for us.  Here are some things that help me.  None of them are magic bullets (wish they were) but after decades of trying to be healthy, I know these are the tips that work for me.

• Eat intentionally, thinking of food as fuel for the things I have to do physically and mentally.  I have enough calories to spend on fuel, and none to waste on junk.

• Drink lots of water.  So important!

• Fruit only til noon on some days to give my system a rest.  Never skip breakfast!

• No sugar or other white stuff…white pasta, white rice, crackers, white bread, potatoes.

• Small meals keep the metabolism going and the fuel burning.

• Since I've been vegetarian for almost 15 years, I make sure to include protein at lunch and dinner, if not at breakfast. I also have a boiled egg, low fat string cheese or a small protein bar as a snack in the afternoon.

• Make dinner the smallest meal of the day, and ideally with no starches at all.

• No soft drinks and no caffeine.

• Limit alcohol.  Talk about empty calories!

• Watch the salt, especially at night.

• Take the supplements that your body and lifestyle demand.

• Cardio, cardio, cardio!

• Strength training.  Great for your bones, your posture, and your physique.

• Don't forget facial sunscreen every day, whether you're planning to be in the sun or not.  I like Neutrogena Dry Touch and Skinceuticals.  Neither breaks me out, which is saying a lot.  If you like color on your body but avoid the sun, Loreal Sublime Bronze self-tanner is awesome!

So those are the rules I set for myself, and try to follow (sometimes more successfully than others!).  Having said all that, I do allow myself a treat from time to time!

Oh, and before I go, how about an update on Jillian Michaels' attempt to kill me via her “30 Day Shred” DVD?  I did Level 1 eight times and then moved up to Level 2, which I've done three times so far.  Can I tell you this is hard stuff?  So hard but so great!  I love it.  So far my heart rate on the treadmill is already down.  I'm feeling stronger, with better posture and a tighter core.  As long as I skip a day in-between Shredding, my knees can tolerate it.  I also bought two other of Jillian's videos: “Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism” and “No More Trouble Zones”.  I haven't done them yet, but can't wait to give them a try!

Now let's get out there, ladies, and enjoy our summer whether we're in the shape we want to be in yet or not!  Today is all we have, so let's celebrate it!

~BigSis

Posted under Fitness

I talked a while back about how much I love the Dr. Oz Show, and how much I learn every time I tune in. I saw two shows recently that I thought contained amazing information, and I want to tell everyone I know about it, starting with you!

I bet we would all agree that Alzheimers and cancer are two of the most dreaded diseases we can imagine. What if your diet alone could help prevent them from attacking you and your loved ones?

According to these two episodes of Dr. Oz, there are foods that can do exactly that.  Read on!

Dr. Oz said that when autopsies are done on 40 year old women who die in car accidents, 40% are found to have microscopic breast cancer cells. By the time we're 70, 100% of us have cancer cells in our bodies.

So, what makes those common microscopic cells grow into a menacing tumor? Blood supply. It's called angiogenesis; when blood capillaries grow and feed the cells so they can multiply at a sometimes alarming rate.

A study conducted by Dr.William Li has shown that certain foods do have the ability to impair angiogenesis.  The anti-angiogenesis foods include:

• Bok Choy

• Cooked Tomatoes

• Artichokes

• Flounder

• Strawberries

• Green Tea

• Chocolate

• Cinnamon

• Soybeans

Now how about Alzheimers disease?  It runs in our family, and LilSis and I will do just about anything to keep it from attacking us. Dr Oz says that we need to add these brain-boosting Alzheimers-fighting foods to our diet:

• Lentils

• Chia Seeds

• Brazil Nuts

• Coffee

I already eat most of these things, but the rest are going to be integrated into my diet (except for flounder since I'm not a critter eater).  Now…how do you cook bok choy?

~BigSis

Posted under Health

In past years, I would normally cook a big ole Texas size brisket for our Memorial Day get together with family and friends. Most holidays are very different for us now since we're way out here in California while the rest of the family is either in Texas or Illinois.

Since living out here, we've definitely had to reinvent how we celebrate some holidays. This past year we've met some great people down at the Harbor, so this year for Memorial Day, we'll be attending a huge Kabob Party on our dock this Sunday. Everyone who participates will bring their favorite Kabobs to share.

I've gotta admit, though, I don't really have a favorite Kabob. I've made Kabobs on several occasions and I'm never that happy with how traditional kabobs turn out. I don't want to make the standard beef, peppers, tomato, and onion kabob because I've found that the meat and the veggies just don't cook at the same rate.  The meat is always done before the veggies, especially the peppers.  So, you either end up with dried out meat or hard vegetables. I know there are many marinades that probably help prevent the meat from drying out, but I'm trying to cook less beef anyway, so I'm not going that route.

I've done veggies on a separate skewer and am more happy with how that turns out except that if you add mushrooms and tomatoes, those are still done before peppers and onions.

So, I want to do something different. I'm thinking shrimp. Even though it isn't a traditional kabob, I've been wanting to make this Guy Fieri recipe, Bacon Wrapped Shrimp with Chipotle Barbeque Sauce that I saw in the February/March 2009 Food Network Magazine. These look pretty amazing to me.

And one of my favorite “go to” cookbooks for anything to do with grilling is always “How To Grill” by Steven Raichlen. He has a fantastic Bacon Basil Shrimp on a Stick recipe that I'm also considering.

This Chicken and Bacon Shish Kabob recipe from All Recipes also sounds interesting because the chicken is wrapped in the bacon, which would probably keep it from drying out, plus there are no peppers.

I know the variations are endless with Kabobs. I would like to use shrimp or chicken instead of beef. I would REALLY love to hear from you if you have a favorite kabob recipe. Pretty please? 🙂

~LilSis

Posted under Food

I got home from California to find hairballs on the carpet, but I found ZERO food in the house.  You know how you try to let your perishables all run out before you leave for on vacation?  That's what I did, which makes sense, but I haven't had anything to eat for dinner all week except random crackers, string cheese and scrambled eggs.  Sad, huh?

So tonight on the way home from work I stopped at Sam's Club for a few things.  Did you know that you can get some great deals on produce there?  The first time I seriously browsed their produce department I was shocked.  I guess I expected to find tired old stuff that was past it's prime, but I've never seen that to be the case.  I do find great deals and good quality.

Here's what I got tonight for under $35.

• Baby spinach – beautiful tiny leaves, triple washed (1 lb)
• Shredded romaine – triple washed (2 lbs)
• Whole button mushrooms (1-1/2 lbs)
• Cherub grape tomatoes (2 lbs)
• Avocados – a perfectly ripe bag of 5
• Frozen sliced strawberries for smoothies (5 lbs)
• Frozen tiny broccoli florets, not the hard yukky stems (4 lbs)

That's a heck of a lot of food that will make me salads, sides and smoothies for at least a week. If I'd picked that all up at a regular grocery store, I would have expected to pay more than double that price.  The strawberries alone would have cost me more than half of that total amount.  Target has a 12 ounce bag of berries on sale for $3, so 5 pounds at that rate would be $20.  I got 5 pounds for $8.76!  Sam's also had some gorgeous phaleonopsis orchids, geraniums and ferns today – all at fabulous prices!

The next time you're at Sam's Club picking up a prescription or waiting for your new tires to be put on, wander through the produce department.  You might be pleasantly surprised to save some money on your family's food bill! Oh, and you get 30% off on all the magazines they carry, and you KNOW how LilSis and I love magazines!   If you've saved some dough on your food, you can justify a magazine or two!

~BigSis

Posted under Food

Good morning, everyone!  We hope you had a most egg-cellent Easter, as we did!  It seems like it is officially spring now, since Easter is behind us, and kids are on spring break or just finished their break.

There's something about spring and vacation time that makes me want new makeup.  I don't know why, it just does.  Maybe it's that spring is like a fresh start or a new day.  At any rate, it can be really helpful for me to see a visual tutorial of new makeup, rather than just trying to wing it myself, which sometimes ends badly!

I found this cool video tutorial on MAC's sculpted eye on their web site.  There are 4 other tutorial videos you can view, all from MAC Makeup Artists.  There's one on a smoky eye, a perfect red lip, a sculpted lip, and classic eyeliner.  The tutorials are very easy to follow, and they provide a list of the products and tools that you need to recreate the look.

I also found a great tutorial on a spring eye from Miss Chevious. You might remember that we featured some of her videos on fun eye looks a while back.

Check out these videos and get some new spring ideas!

~BigSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care