You can do that!( Chocolate Apples)

So I ventured into the grocery store yesterday and spied with my eyes these larger than life chocolate decorated apples. They were chopped full of nuts, little pretty , yummie candles , caramel and the list of garnishes went on. They were also REASONABLY( in sarcastic voice) priced at only $20 bucks a pop. Please allow me to explain a bit further , that $20.00 per apple. That's the same amount as a dozen roses in most cases. So I cleared out the wad up wet pieces of cotton in my head, i put in place of my brain on the weekends, to help relax, relate and release and decided there had to be a better less expensive way. Because I wanted nothing more than to have one of those delicious apples in my mouth ... I mean to give as Valentine gifts to our friends and family.

Now mind you , we at The Black Black Butterfly, do our best to advocate a healthy life style and as a result we believe that being healthy, comes in all forms, including, mixing something healthy like a Apple with chocolate to equal happiness, which is in and of it's self, HEALTHY LIVING!.Soooooo with that said, we don't except to see the emails coming in with that complaint. Instead see the high point in this article and say... HEEEEEEEEEY... I can do that!

 Now although these take patience and time, and may not be ideal for beginners, it still won't hurt you to try, I did and well. it went pretty well.

What you will need:

                                     4 crisp apples, firm, unbruised and WITH STEMS,
     each weighing 6-1/2 to 7 ounces
12 ozs. soft and fresh wrapped caramels
1 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. hot water
12 ozs. good-quality chocolate (milk, semisweet, or a combination), chopped
About 1 c. chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans, chopped
     medium-fine) OR toffee chunks basically, anything your heart desires.





Wash the apples and insert sticks. Place the apples in the refrigerator while melting chocolate. The chocolate, if using without the caramel will stick better if the apples are cold. If you are using the caramel, make sure the apples sit at room temperature for about 45 mind before starting.

Bring water to boil in a double boiler or chocolate melting pot. Melt the semi-sweet or milk chocolate slowly in a bowl over double boiler for about 2 minutes, you'll want to stir it after a minute. Remove from heat and stir till melted and warm not hot. Do the same with the white chocolate. With caramel, Use same double broiler method, except add the hot water in slowly, until you get a thick gooey consistency.

Remove the apples from the refrigerator and dip in the semi-sweet or milk chocolate. Lift and swirl the apple to coat evenly. Hold the apple up over the bowl and let the extra drip off. Take the apple and move to the bowl of white chocolate. Hold the apple over the white chocolate and with a spoon drizzle.

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and set the  dipped apples on it. Refrigerate the apples until the chocolate is set. Wrap and decorate as desired.


YEAH your done. Enjoy!

When I grow Up!!!( A LOL moment)

(Here's the reply the teacher received the following day)

Dear Mrs. Jones, I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer. I work at Home Depot and I told my daughter how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit. I told her we sold out every single shovel we had, and then I found one more in the back room, and that several people were fighting over who would get it. Her picture doesn't show me dancing around a pole. It's supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot. From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in. Sincerely, Mrs. Smith


As a parent... some of us have been here and done that, which is why this is our LOL moment choice.

Tea Recipe for Head Colds

COLDS and FLU Tea Recipe
 

1 oz. Blackberry Leaves
1 oz Elder flowers
1 oz Linden flower/leaf/stem
1 oz Peppermint leaves


Store in air tight container, preferably in a dark area.

To brew...

Pour 1 cup boiling water over 2 tbs mixture. Do not steep your tea while water is boiling. Cover and steep 3 minutes; strain. 

Other Ingredient to help you fight a the cold or flu:

Peppermint, elder flower, rosehips, ginger, anise seed, thyme, yarrow, and calendula(marigold)

 

Price list of ingredients in Bulk

 

contact us Herbs 1 pound 1/4 pound   2 oz 1 oz custom amount Blackberry Leaves $10 $4 $2.36 $1.18 contact us Elder Flower $17 $8 $4 $2 contact us Linden Leaves $15 $6 $3.25 $1.6 contact us Peppermint Leaves $6 $3 $1.68 $0.84 contact us Rose hips(whole) $7 $3 $1.8 $0.9 contact us Ginger(c/s) $5 $2.25 $1.28 $0.64 contact us Anise Seed(whole) $8.9 $5 $2.2 $1.1 contact us Thyme(c/s) $4.95 $3.8 $1.52 $0.76 contact us Yarrow(c/s) $8 $5.7 $2.28 $1.14 contact us Calendula(whole) $10 $7 $2.8 $1.4

For us to blend this tea for you 2oz. @ 4.82 plus shipping and handling contact us for  details. 2oz of tea will yield approx. 25 cups of tea.

Natural cold and flu remedies

The time to treat a cold is when you don't have it.! Prevention is always better than cure. However the same herbs that keep colds and flu at bay, will also help you get rid of it faster.

The common cold is caused by any one of 200 different viruses. When infection occurs , the walls of the respiratory tract swell and produce excess mucus, giving rise to the typical cold symptoms. Symptoms range from sore throat, running nose, nasal congestion, watery eyes to hacking cough, headache, and fever. Most colds run their course in 7-10 days. Recurrent colds (almost constantly suffering) may indicate a lowered immune capacity and too much stress and often not enough sleep.

Colds spread from person to person and are highly contagious. Coughing, sneezing or hand to hand contact will easily pass the virus on. The virus can also live for several hours on everyday surfaces.So make certain you keep your hands washed and away from your face during the cold and flu season, this will help some as well.

November is National Dibeties Month

This November, join the American Diabetes Association in a national movement to Stop Diabetes^SM.

November is American Diabetes Month®—a time to shine a spotlight on a serious disease that leads to potentially life-threatening complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, and amputation.
This year, we need to take a bolder, more audacious approach to American Diabetes Month. Consider that:

• 24 million children and adults in the United States live with diabetes
• 57 million Americans are at risk for type 2 diabetes
• 1 out of every 3 children born today will face a future with diabetes if current trends continue

We ask you to join the American Diabetes Association in launching a national movement to Stop Diabetes – help us confront it, fight it, and most importantly, stop it.
Here's how you can become involved:

• Share. Inspire others to join the movement by sharing your personal story. Visit stopdiabetes.com and join us on Facebook and Twitter to learn about all the exciting ways to be a part of the Stop Diabetes movement. Invite your family, friends, and co-workers to join this effort as well.
• Act. Whether you want to walk*, bike* or simply tell a friend, there will be many ways to help us build momentum for the Stop Diabetes movement.
• Learn. The American Diabetes Association has many resources throughout the country to help Stop Diabetes. If you, or a loved one, already have diabetes* or are at risk* for developing it, we can provide medical, lifestyle and motivational information to prevent this disease from taking control of your life and the lives of those around you.
• Give. Sign up with your local American Diabetes Association office to help raise money for diabetes research, federal and state advocacy and public education.

Related Links

As seen in newspapers around the U.S.

 American Diabetes Month Fact Sheet (PDF)
Template newsletter (doc)
American Diabetes Fact Sheet (Spanish, PDF)
Template newsletter (Spanish, doc)

Wisdom of Psalm

Psalm 129:2
Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth: yet they have not prevailed against me.

Saundra was handicapped. Her hands were twisted beyond usefulness, and she had lived with them since birth. They caused her not only physical pain, but emotional anguish as well. Throughout her childhood, cruel children had mocked her. The damage done to her self-esteem was immense, and for a long period she believed that she could never do anything. In college she had met a friend who led her to Christ. In Christ she found a new desire to succeed and beat her affliction. She received a Master's degree in Therapy and Handicapped Services and became national spokeswoman for a handicap-awareness campaign. Though her detractors had always had something to say, Saundra prevailed and rose above her handicap.The Lord gives us all the ability to rise above the things that limit us. If we will only lean upon Him, He will give us the will and drive to succeed in every situation. His power can be our power when we call upon His holy name.

Prayer:

There are times, dear Lord, when I feel I don't amount to much. My self-image is bruised, and my determination is crushed. Be with me in those times, and lift me up. Amen.

If it's not natrual

A Practical Guide to Soap Ingredients
By Bontaine

... don't say it is! If you're like us, you're frustrated by everyone calling their products natural, even when they're not. How can you tell? Whether you are buying soap and skin care for your company or for personal use, the only way to know if a product is truly natural is to understand the ingredients it contains.

The problem with the term "natural" is that there are no official definitions for it. Believe it or not, the only standards for defining a product as natural are voluntary ones, and a company is free to make up its own. In other words, in the world of soap and skin care, companies can call their products "natural" regardless of what's in them. We know, it's crazy. But it's true. You can't just trust what it says on a product's packaging, and you can't assume a product is truly natural just because it is sold at a natural products store.

The highest and truest standard for "natural" is organic certification, and we'll address this concept in the next newsletter. For many soap and skin care companies, though, "natural" is a more attainable standard. Whole Foods has developed its own "Premium Body Care" standard to define "natural." Two organizations, the Natural Products Association and the Natural Ingredients Resource Council, also offer strong standards for "natural."

For example, the Whole Foods Premium Body Care standard forbids the use of synthetic fragrances in skin care products. However, the use of synthetic fragrances is common in "natural" soaps and skin care. How can you, the consumer, tell the difference? The following terms refer to synthetic fragrance: "fragrance", "fragrance oils", "perfume", "parfum". If you see any of these on a label - even on a label that says "all natural" - you know the product has synthetic fragrances in it. By contrast, pure essential oils are the only truly natural scent ingredients. Also, be sure to read the ingredients panel on so called "fragrance free" or "unscented" soaps found in grocery stores. Some products, with names like "Unscented", "Fragrance Free", or "Sensitive Skin," have fragrance listed among their ingredients. Worse, some have clever ways to hide this, such as using ingredients like "Malto" as a "fragrance mask." Whole Foods has a helpful brochure that discusses this: PREMIUM BODY CARE

Fortunately, "natural" soaps are easy to understand. In our Newsletter coming in a few months, we'll be discussing the actual chemistry behind soap formulation and the technical names for ingredients you sometimes see on soap labels. Always, the highest standard for Natural is organic certification. For all the rest, here are four basic rules of thumb for determining whether a soap is natural:

• It is made from vegetable oils (if you see "tallow" or "tallowate" in the ingredients, this refers to animal fats)
• It is scented with essential oils only, or, if unscented, is truly unscented
• It contains no synthetic pigments, dyes, or preservatives
• SUMMARY: The ingredients sound like plant names!

Whether you need natural soap for your personal use or wholesale soap for your business, be sure it is truly natural. "Mostly" and "Sort of" don't count.

What is Homeopathic ?

Homeopathic remedies (also called homeopathics) are a system of medicine based on three principles:

• Like cures like
  For example, if the symptoms of your cold are similar to poisoning by mercury, then mercury would be your homeopathic remedy.
• Minimal Dose
  The remedy is taken in an extremely dilute form; normally one part of the remedy to around 1,000,000,000,000 parts of water.
• The Single Remedy
  No matter how many symptoms are experienced, only one remedy is taken, and that remedy will be aimed at all those symptoms.

Similar principals forms the basis of conventional allergy treatment, where the allergic substance is given in a small dose, and in vaccines where an impotent form of the virus is given to bolster the immune system against that particular virus.

Why use Homeopathics?

Homeopathy is the second most widely used system of medicine in the world. Its growth in popularity in the United States has been around 25 to 50 percent a year throughout the last decade.
This success is fueled by several factors:

• Homeopathy is extremely effective. When the correct remedy is taken, results can be rapid, complete and permanent.
• Homeopathy is completely safe. Even babies and pregnant women can use Homeopathy without the danger of side effects. Homeopathic remedies can also be taken alongside other medication without producing unwanted side effects.
• Homeopathy is natural. Homeopathic remedies are normally based on natural ingredients.
• Homeopathy works in harmony with your immune system, unlike some conventional medicines which suppress the immune system. (For example, cough medicines suppress the cough reflex, which is your body's attempt to clear the lungs)
• Homeopathic remedies are not addictive - once relief is felt, you should stop taking them. If no relief is felt, you are probably taking the wrong homeopathic remedy.
• Homeopathy is holistic. It treats all the symptoms as one, which in practical terms means that it addresses the cause, not the symptoms. This often means that symptoms tackled with Homeopathy do not recur.

But there is a catch...

Every silver lining has a cloud, and there are two main barriers to the effective use of homeopathy:

• Prescribing the right homeopathic remedy takes a little more time and patience than conventional medicine. Exactly the right remedy needs to be taken for your symptoms. There is no such thing as a standard homeopathic headache remedy (though, sadly that doesn't mean no such product is sold...).
  The remedy you take has to be matched to your particular headache - where it occurs, what brings it on, what type of pain it is, what aggravates it, what makes it feel worse, your state of mind and what other symptoms you experience.
• The sheer range of remedies in use can cause practical problems for an average sized pharmacy. If the right remedy is not one of 30 or so commonly used remedies, they can be difficult to obtain.

And so...

• We built a remedy finder. Type in your symptoms in plain English, answer a few questions and the homeopathic remedy finder will help you to work out exactly which remedy you need to take.
• We opened a remedy shop to sell an extensive range of homeopathics. You can search by the name of the remedy, or a few letters of the name. Easier still, you can put remedies in your basket directly from the homeopathic remedy finder.