March 2010

Save $18
2010 Mother's Day Basket Set w/WoodCrafts Lid
Set includes Basket, Keepsake Case, Protector and WoodCrafts Lid w/knob set

Save $14
2010 Mother's Day Basket Set
Set includes Basket, Keepsake Case and Protector

Warm Brown with Sage accents around base and top band, finished with a Sunset Pink over Bright Pink trim strip
Kerf bottom
Accessories:
WoodCrafts Lid w/knob set, available in Warm Brown with floral decal. Knob Set includes square wood knob and decorative pewter floral knob to match Pretty In Pink fabric
Keepsake Case (Pretty In Pink) fabric; has coordinating print lining;interior lined with coordinating print complete with an elastic pouch in lid for your most valuable keepsakes; quilted exterior
Protector

Pretty In Pink 3-in-1 Tote  

Longaberger Signature motif wooden buttons are used to hold a removable / reversible outside decorative cover attached by elastic bands
Tote can be used with or without reversible cover for 3 individual looks
Moms on the go will love thie 3-in-one tote. Not only is it a bargain for $29, she can switch the fabric to match her shoes.

Save $20
Large Handled Leaf Basket  

Save $13
Leaf Basket  

Large Handled Leaf Basket's handle is wrought iron with textured nickel finish
Flared oval shaped baskets with Sage exterior and Whitewashed interior creates a fresh contrast.
Kerf bottom
Accessories:
Protector
Good to know: The Leaf Baskets were inspired by our #1 selling fabric, Botanical Fields. The two baskets represent the design of the leaves within the fabric as well as the color palette.

Botanical Fields Pottery
SALE
Luncheon Plates Set of 4
Soup and Salad Bowls Set of 4
Mugs Set of 4
Botanical Fields Soup & Salad Bowls Set of 4

Coordinates with Sage, Butternut, Paprika, Cornflower and Ivory
Vitrified-safe for use in microwave, oven, dishwasher and freezer

Take advantage of these incredible deals  

Save up to $110 on Wrought Iron
and up to $70 on select baskets.  

Don't delay; the savings only last through the month of March.  

Collectors Club  

Eschman Meadows Leaf Ornament Fern
The Eschman Meadows Leaf Ornament Series design inspiration came from Tami Longaberger's farm and her passion for nature and her gardens
All four ornaments represent the seasons and feature unique elements of nature
Each ornament features a casted metal stem with a satin nickel finish
Ribbon is provided
Each ornament was handcrafted in the U.S.A. using timeless casting techniques and the finest American clays
Not intended for children. Clean only with a soft cloth. Do not place in the dishwasher or use harsh or abrasive cleaners. Failure to follow these instructions could cause immediate breakage or breakage at a later date.
The Leaf Ornament Series will be offered throughout 2010. Look for one ornament to celebrate each season:
Spring: Fern
Summer: Water Lily
Fall: Maple Leaf
Holiday: Holly

Visit my website to see these specials and the entire line of Longaberger products or to place order.
http://www.longaberger.com/dianaalexander

If you would like the Spring/Summer catalog, current month specials flyer or my e-mail monthly basket newsletter sent to you please let me know.

Join my fan page on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Longaberger-Diana-Alexander-Independent-Home-Consultant/79966562437

Mother’s Day Basket Set

3-in-1 Tote

3-in-1 Tote

Large Handled Leaf Basket

Leaf Basket

Botanical Fields Pottery

Wrought Iron Wall File w/ Sort & Store Mail & Bill Basket and Sort & Store Tall File Basket

Eschman Meadows Fern Leaf Ornament

Longaberger’s Design a Basket program offers many combinations of baskets, WoodCrafts lids, trim strip colors, tack cover designs and message tags. Personalize baskets for weddings, reunions, fundraisers and sports teams. Create gifts, company awards and special event baskets. The ideas are endless! These are custom made baskets and orders must be placed through me. For more information contact me at-diana.alexander9@gmail.com

Visit my website to see the entire line of Longaberger products or to place order.
http://www.longaberger.com/dianaalexander

If you would like the Spring/Summer catalog, current month specials flyer or my e-mail monthly basket newsletter sent to you please let me know.

Join my fan page on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Longaberger-Diana-Alexander-Independent-Home-Consultant/79966562437  

Two Basket Color Choices-
Warm Brown & Whitewashed
Basket Protectors Are Also Offered With All Basket Designs
WoodCrafts Lid Available On Select Baskets

Tack Cover Design Selection
Optional Message Tags

Trim Strip Color Selection

7” Round Keeping Basket WoodCrafts Lids

Winning color combinations in the favorite collegiate series baskets make your tailgate parties and gatherings something to cheer about! See my website http://www.longaberger.com/dianaalexander for specific schools and to place an order for your favorite.

Here are just a few of the schools available-
Indiana

Iowa

Michigan State

Ohio State

Virginia Tech

Colts and New Orleans fans now is the time to get your NFL baskets! Use them to put your favorite foods in for the Super Bowl party!
All the available basket styles can be viewed and ordered on my website. Click on NFL lineup on left side of page. Not a fan of the Super Bowls teams? All 32 teams are available.
http://www.longaberger.com/dianaalexander  

You go there every week to buy nourishing food for your family, so it may be a shock to learn that there are dangers lurking in your grocery store ? and we're not talking about Double Stuf Oreos.

We're talking about the fruits and veggies, the meats, and those handy-in-a-hurry prepared meals, all of which can harbor dangerous bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella. Last year, 76 million Americans got sick from contaminated food. Over 300,000 ended up in the hospital; 5 million didn't make it out.

Experts say food contamination, and the practices that lead to it ? storing and packaging food improperly, failing health inspections ? are on the rise. Here are the danger zones to watch out for and easy-to-follow tips for keeping you and your family safe.

THE MEAT SECTION

Dirty little secret: Gone is the time when you bought your meat from a butcher who specialized in all things carnivorous and knew how to safely handle meat. Nowadays, more and more supermarkets act like small meat processing plants without the licensing, training, and oversight required of actual meat packing vendors. They may not ensure that meat and chicken is tightly sealed, isolated from cross contamination and stored at the right temperature, leaving them open to bacterial growth. Beyond that, stores are allowed to pump carbon monoxide into meat packaging, which though not harmful, gives the meat a fresh appearance no matter how long it's been sitting on the shelf.

Quick fix: Eat meat within 2-3 days of getting it home or freeze it right away. Know the difference between the sell-by and the use-by dates. Use-by dates are federally mandated, but sell-by dates are arbitrarily set by the store and are not a good indicator of how fresh food is.

THE DELI COUNTER

Dirty little secret: You may not want to hear this, but those handy prepared foods ? rotisserie chickens, pasta salads, fruit salads ? are often made from foods that have expired and should be eaten immediately or thrown away. In addition, they are prepared the same way a restaurant would, but without the oversight, training and licensing of a restaurant. The last part of the recipe for contamination is temperature. Because cooked food is a playground for bacteria, it is vital that these items be kept at 135 degrees, but that temperature can dry food out, so stores sometimes keep cases cooler, inviting bacteria to grow and multiply.

Quick fix: Give your deli counter the once over. Ask how the food is stored and look for the thermometer in the display case. Cold food should be stored at 41 degrees or less and hot food above 135. Finally, ask when the food was prepared. If the answer is longer than 4 hours ago, keep on walking.

THE PRODUCE SECTION

Dirty little secret: When you grab an apple for lunch, your hands may be the 20th pair to touch it. That's right, veggies and fruits are picked, sorted, thrown on a truck, taken off a truck, sorted again, boxed, and unboxed all before they reach the display case where they're fondled by other customers before they meet you. Experts say, all in all, 20 people will touch a tomato before you slice it up for your salad. And that's in addition to all the animal waste that can mingle with produce on the long journey from farm to table.

Quick fix: Carefully wash all fruits and vegetables before eating, even if you don't plan on eating the skin. When you peel or cut vegetables and fruits, the bacteria from the exterior can travel inside. Keep any prepped veggies, such as sliced tomatoes, at 41 degrees or cooler until you eat or cook them.

BONE UP ON YOUR OWN FOOD SAFETY PRACTICES

Be meat smart. Buy chicken, fish, and poultry at the end of your shopping trip so that they stay cold longer. Make sure all meats are packaged tightly (double bagging is a good idea), so no juices (and the bacteria they contain) can leak out onto other foods.

Bin there, what's that? It's sad but true, many people skip the tongs and use their bare hands to get that bagel from the bread bin, introducing their own bacteria and viruses. But that's not all they leave behind. Among the most commonly found items at the bottom of open bins? False fingernails. Which should be argument enough for you to skip any open containers and opt for packaged items.

Reuse, recycle, and REWASH! Reusable bags are great for the environment, but can be bad for food safety. Wash them every 10 uses?using an acidic cleaner such as vinegar or running them through the washing machine?to remove any dangerous bacteria from your previous shopping trips.

A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about bananas. He said the expression “going bananas” is from the effects of bananas on the brain. Read on:  

Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!!  

This is interesting.

After reading this, you’ll never look at a banana in the same way again.  

Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.  

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world’s leading athletes.

But energy isn’t the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.  

Depression:  According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.  

PMS:  Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.  

Anemia:  High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure:  This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administrat ion has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.  

Brain Power:  200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school ( England ) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.  

Constipation:  High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.  

Hangovers:  One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey.. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system..

Heartburn:  Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.  

Morning Sickness:  Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.  

Mosquito bites:  Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.  

Nerves:  Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips.. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady..  

Ulcers:  The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control:  Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.  

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):  Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.  

Smoking &Tobacco Use:  Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.  

Stress : Potassium is a vital mineral, which hel ps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, there by reducing our potassium levels... These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.  

Strokes:  According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts:  Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!  

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, “A banana a day keeps the doctor away!”