welcome to elaney!

1 Quart Water

1 Cup Splenda

1 Cup Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

We love Chikfila Diet Lemonade and are surprised to see how easy it is to make.  We suspect it would not be as good if we made it, as “fresh squeezed lemon juice” requires an unattainable level of patience for us.  Nevertheless, it is a great healthy afternoon summer treat.  25 calories in a small and 40 calories in a large.

If you ever need to buy one product that can serve 1000 purposes, get this one.  It’s for chapped lips, reliving irritation, and can be used on minor burns.  Plus, it smells good and it’s pretty.  Rosebud Salve was invented in 1895 by druggist G.F. Smith.  You can put it over or under lipstick, use it to tame a browline, rub it on your rosebuddy cheeks, or use it to tame frizzy hair.  It’s a cult and celebrity favorite!  For ordering info, click here.  

Love to stay abreast of all the interesting things designers come up with for getting us to spend money er, creativity.  There are lots out there, and gladiators are still our fava fav, but here is one we do: white dresses…

And one we don’t: corset tops…

And that’s all she wrote.

When you are a bridesmaid, sure you have to buy the dress, but at least you know what to wear.  When you’re a reader, you make the call. How do we know what’s approp?  We think a solid color is the way to go, with the dress being something that looks nice accompaning the bridesmaids color, without being the same.  For something like a blue bridesmaid’s dress, here’s a thought.  Any suggestions?

1. One glass of wine a day can reduce you risk of having a heart attack, but two glasses of wine a day increases your chance for developing breast cancer.
2. One glass of wine a day can increase bone strength, but two or more glasses daily can weaken bones. This decrease in bone density can put you at risk for developing osteoporosis.
3. One glass of red wine a day may help you stay thin, but two or more glasses a day may raise the fats found in your blood
4. Drinking wine in moderation may help improve your ability to create and maintain memories, but two or more glasses, especially when coupled with tobacco use, canhasten the onset of Alzheimer’s.
5. Drinking one glass of wine a day can lower your chances of having a stroke, but drinking more can raise your chances of having one.

Trouble shopping for someone who has everything?  We note what you need.  Check out Kate’s adorable handmade stationery, gift tags and cards.  Kate is a young artist who likes a handwritten note and thinks handmade stationary is perfect for it.  These cards make nice gifts and the best part is, if you have an idea, kate will design what you want:  katemillerpapers.com.  

1.  Never Eat Alone, Keith Ferrazzi.  Your typical networking, business motivation book.  It was fine.  Just skip the book and read some inspirational quotes.  

2.  Queen of Babble, Meg Cabot.  The first in the series and much better than the Manhattan set sequel.  Ann Arbor student Lizzie Nichols gets into adventures and misadventures in England and France, falls in love, and saves the day.  Cute.

3.  Size 12 is Not Fat, Meg Cabot.  The first in this murder mystery series.  Heather Wells, fallen pop star, is an NYU assistant dorm director, as Cabot was in her twenties.  It’s clear that Cabot identifies with Wells, and it’s another funny, charming beach read. 

4.  Frank Lloyd Wright, Ada Louise Huxtable.  Counters some of the untruths told in the FLW autobiography and explains that Wright was two men: the man he saw and the man of reality.  Informative and insightful about why he was the way he was.