Don't Let It Go to Your Head

Or better yet, please do. When a full body massage isn't possible, enjoy a relaxing scalp massage. Why not this weekend?

You'd be amazed how much tension can be relieved. But there's another advantage, it also promotes healthy hair because massaging the scalp stimulates blood flow to the follicles, and dead skin cells and dandruff are removed from the scalp's surface. The follicles are better able to receive nutrients and therefore hair growth may occur and hair loss is prevented. And, a scalp massage may offer relief to those suffering from migraines or headaches.

The Brush Technique (Massage for 1 or 2): Using a natural-bristle brush, and brushing from root to tip slowly, will stimulate the scalp and promote relaxation. Take turns brushing each other's hair, or relax in your favorite chair and sit slightly forward as you brush from one side to the next. Once the hair is brushed out, run your fingers through the hair in upward strokes paying close attention to temples, forehead, and the top of the neck.

Essential Oils: Warm a small amount of olive, jojoba, or almond oil and gently massage into the scalp starting from the temples and moving towards the center. The goal is to not necessarily coat the hair, but to use the oil to help glide your hands all over the head. You can add essential oils like lavender (relaxing), peppermint (invigorating), or rosemary (to promote hair growth).

Hair and Scalp Treatment: Use your favorite conditioner or hair moisturizer combined with a little water to work into the scalp and saturate the hair.

Use a towel under the receiver's head to keep the products from getting onto furniture or carpet, and use a combination of circular and kneading motions, pressing slightly every so often, to massage the scalp. You can even move the massage down to the neck and the tops of shoulders for added pleasure.

Enjoy!

Scenes From Around New England: Goodbye Summer

Salt air, bog roads, lazy days... all surrounded by family. This is summer in New England. What better way to say good-bye summer than to show off its beauty.

Blast From the Past

Last week, I mentioned that I would share old magazine clippings with you to see if you think the "look" would still work today. Here is another. This clipping dates back to 1998. The two pieces - the table and the twig chair - are an unexpected mix of textures and styles. Why does it work? Because the table's distressed finish makes this formal piece much more compatible with the rustic chair. This is one of the key elements in blending styles with ease. But, is this look still in? Again, my vote is an enthusiastic yes. I love mixing the formal with the informal and combining contemporary and more traditional elements together.

Image scanned from Better Homes & Gardens magazine

Savor Summer Tomatoes

If only we could bottle summer tomatoes and treat ourselves to delicious salads, soups, and snacks all year long. I'll settle for some soup and sauce.

Passata

"Passata" means "passed through", so the first thing you need to do in order to make tomato sauce is prepare the tomatoes.

10 lbs. ripe plum tomatoes

1 cup fresh basil leaves (plus 2-3 extra per jar of sauce)

1/4 cup kosher salt or sea salt

Wash tomatoes. Cut them in half and squeeze out and discard excess seeds. Place tomatoes in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in basil and salt. Bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook 40 minutes, stirring continually so that the tomatoes won't stick or burn on the bottom. Pass mixture through a food mill.

Place 2-3 basil leaves into each of your (sanitized) 32-ounce (or smaller) canning jars. Pour tomatoes into jars, leaving 1/2-inch air space at the top. Seal well and process in boiling water for 40 minutes. Yield: about 5 32-ounce jars.

Tomato Sauce

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, sliced in half

6 fresh basil leaves

2 cups Passata (or 1 16-ounce can peeled tomatoes passed through a food mill)

2 teaspoons kosher salt or sea salt

1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

In a large sauce pot on a medium setting, heat olive oil, garlic, and basil. Cook gently about 2 minutes, until fragrant. Don't brown. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the Passata, salt, and red-pepper flakes.

When sauce comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 30-35 minutes. Remove garlic cloves. Adjust seasoning to taste. Set aside until ready to use over pasta.

Recipes and image via yankeemagazine.com

International Literacy Day

Today, one in five adults is still not literate and about two-thirds of them are women, while 67.4 million children are out of school.* These figures are staggering. Which is why the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has proclaimed September 8th International Literacy Day. It was first celebrated in 1966, and every year since, UNESCO has raised public awareness of the extraordinary value of the written word and of the necessity to promote a literate society. Writers such as Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood, Paulo Coelho, and Amy Tan support their efforts through the Writers for Literacy Initiative. But you can help, too.

Read.

Volunteer your time and read to children (and adults) at a homeless shelter, the library, or at a school reading workshop. Gift books to young readers to encourage learning and the love of reading. Then sit back and watch as the world unfolds before them.

(This is a great way to commemorate our National Day of Service on September 11th.)

*Statistic from ENESCO

Photo: barnesandnoble.com

Blast From the Past

I love looking through my books of magazine clippings. Some date as far back as 1985, and a few are even older than that. Are the looks still in? Most are not, but a few of the designs have withstood the test of time. I thought it would be fun to share these photos with you to see if you agree.

This lovely chest of drawers is a clipping without a date, but I know the book it came out of dates back at least 5 years. Does it pass the test? Would you consider putting this piece - provided it was a style you liked - in your entry? My vote is yes. I wouldn't change a thing. In fact, a chest of drawers is one of the most versatile pieces of furniture you can own. And it's a smart addition to an entry where mail, the dog's leash, hats, and mittens can be stored away and out of sight, but within reach.

Consider adding a small chest to any room of the house - for linens in the bath, as a TV and media center in the den, as a bar in the living room, or to keep office supplies in style in a home office.

Image scanned, magazine unknown

Parenting: The One, Two Punch

My youngest daughter started high school yesterday. She is now at school with her older sister and I have double the worry. I am the mother of two teenage girls. I don’t think their father is going to make it.

I can remember when (not so long ago) my sleepless nights were caused by babies: crying, needing to be changed, needing to be fed. Now, they not only sleep through the night, they can sleep through the afternoon if we let them. I don’t sleep much lately, because I’m worried about them driving cars, getting into friend’s cars, grades, college, bullies, money, boys, (sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll).

If only a little birdy had whispered in my ear during those sleep deprived years….just wait, you won’t know what you have until it’s gone. When you’re in the thick of it, all of the mind-numbing days you didn’t get to take a shower just made you want to fast-forward through it all. But time marches us forward, like it always does, and it’s over in a blink of an eye. When my girlfriend’s sons were 8 and 12, I told her to enjoy this time. When children are of middle-school age – out of the I-need-you-right-now toddler stage, but before the teen years take over – you can relax a little, catch up on some sleep, yet still keep one protective eye on their comings and goings without a sigh or a roll of the eyes. This, however, is not the case with teens.

Being a parent to teenagers means you (unwillingly) participate in a perfectly timed dance of staying involved and asking questions, while simultaneously keeping your thoughts to yourself and your mouth shut. When they talk, you listen. When they cry, you hug. And when they’re not willing to share, you just have to hang on and give them some space. Parenting teenagers is a marathon, not a sprint. But you can’t train for it. No, all of the training you need is done on the job and by the seat of your pants. And without any health benefits.

Because of the age span between our children, we’re caught between two generations. We were the “young” parents to my son’s friends and on the slightly older side for daughter #2. We’ve watched, learned, and witnessed parenting styles we’ve aggressively avoided. I never thought that picking my battles meant battling other parents. I’m one of those old-fashioned parents that still believes in curfews and setting limits. And like the dinosaurs before me, I’m quickly becoming extinct.

And it doesn’t stop there. Parenting articles are filled with how to deal with one nightmare situation after the other. Gone are the days when sneaking a cigarette in the girls’ bathroom was the worst thing a young girl could do. All of it makes me want to bury my head under the covers and not emerge until I can play doting grandmother. I just want to skip right over this, too.

Or do I?

Teenagers certainly get a bad rap. But I like spending time with my girls; they’re some of my favorite people. They make me laugh, pick me up when I’m down, and help me gang up on their father. I like to listen to what they have to say. I think they’re interesting, smart, funny, and caring young women. And I get deliriously happy when they actually ask my opinion. Some days I want to shout, They like me, they really like me! Knock wood, thank the moon and the stars, as I throw salt over my left shoulder – so far, so good. Luck? Definitely. But I like to think some of my hard work has paid off, too.

While I still figure it all out, I’m here. I’m listening. I’m hanging on. Someone please hand me some water. I’ve got a few more miles to go.