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Here are the travel secrets to packing for your next trip – packing light and packing tight! Hey, guys and gals…here’s a packing list that will be invaluable for many trips to come! It’s nice to be reminded of everything you need to take on a trip. Everyone has so many things to think about when getting ready to travel that a little help with the packing is very much appreciated! Hey, gals…check out the entire dress collection. These dresses go from fun and flirty to refined elegance and are designed to provide flattering comfort to women on the go. For everyone…here’s travel gear ideas that will make your trip easier to prepare for and more enjoyable.  Tip 1 – Keep an ongoing list of items on your phone of absolute essentials to pack for every trip (charger, cleanser, glasses, bathing suit, sunscreen, etc.) makes last-minute packing a lot less stressful because there’s always a personal checklist for reference. Tip 2 – Have a small zippered pouch in your carry-on bag to stash all the things that you want to keep with you on a flight. This may include: headphones, earplugs, EmergenC, phone, wallet, etc. When you board, just pull that pouch out and toss it into the seat. You are now ready to place your carry-on in the overhead bin, quickly and efficiently. For more travel information, Click Here Time for a trip? These travel tips will be a great help! Who doesn’t love Mothers Day Cookies? So many of us associate cookies with our mothers baking cookies for special occasions and after-school treats. We have a few ideas for you that makes a plain sugar cookie into a “master piece.” But first a little history about Mother’s Day… Mother’s Day is a holiday honoring motherhood that is observed throughout the world. The American origin of Mother’s Day was created by Anna Jarvis in 1908 and became an official U.S. holiday in 1914. While dates and celebrations vary, Mother’s Day most commonly falls on the second Sunday in May and traditionally involves presenting mothers with flowers, cards and other gifts. To make these Mothers Day cookies, use your favorite sugar cookie recipe. Then, decorate them as you see in the photos. This is a great time for your creativity to shine! Mothers Day Cookies #1  Mothers Day Cookies #2  Mothers Day Cookies #3  A tip for decorating sugar cookies: Make icing with confectioners’ sugar and milk. Make it fairly thin and ‘paint’ the icing on the cookies with a pastry brush. Thin enough to spread easily but not so thin that it just makes your cookies wet and runs off. For Cookies 2 & 3 above, you might want the frosting a little thicker. For more Recipes, Click Here Did you know? Jigsaw puzzles help you exercise both the right and left side of the brain. Working a jigsaw puzzle helps keep your brain young! Your left brain thinks logically and follows sequence while the right brain is creative, intuitive and emotional. When working a jigsaw puzzle, you harness both sides of the brain. Jigsaw puzzles engage the brain to retain information on shapes and colors in order to choose pieces that will fit together properly.This hunt for pieces requires your brain to memorize what each piece looks like or should look like and what kinds of pieces you are searching for in order to complete the picture. Doing this repeatedly reinforces short-term memory. This engaging activity:
Here are two jigsaw puzzles for you to work and enjoy! Click link beside each photo…   Interesting facts about jigsaw puzzles! They were first created by an English mapmaker by the name of John Spilsbury in the late 1760’s. He made a puzzle by gluing a map of the world on a piece of wood and cut out the countries. Children would put the pieces together to learn to identify individual countries and their relation to one another. This was much like our puzzles of the United States that we all worked on when we were growing up. Thus, jigsaw puzzles were originally invented for education instead of entertainment. Jigsaw puzzles are now loved by people of all ages. Jigsaw puzzles became a form of daily amusement and activity for adults in the early 1900’s. However, they were quite expensive ($5 for a 500-piece puzzle in 1908). By the time of the Great Depression in the early 1930’s, they became more reasonable in price. In fact, 10 million puzzles were sold per week during this time in history. This was an escape from the troubles of the Depression years. Aging in Place! What is that? Have you thought about what and how it applies to all of us Over 50? From a Senior Resource Website to further define the term “Aging in Place”: “We are using the term “aging in place” in reference to living where you have lived for many years, or to living in a non-healthcare environment, and using products, services and conveniences to enable you to not have to move as circumstances change.” As people grow older, a significant concern is that they may have to leave their home. They like their comfortable setting in a familiar community and the many memories that go along with it. They feel that a certain amount of control is lost when a person leaves their home. They want to have “control” which is the basis of their feelings of dignity, independence and quality of life. One’s home is a strong element in the sense of security. There are several reasons for this strong aging preference: 1. Comfortable Environment 2. Feelings of Independence 3. Safety and Security 4. Familiar Environment 5. In close proximity to family 6. Convenience to Services  We also want to address the basic challenges of aging. Some of them are subtle and not so obvious. However, they usually include some of the following:
To keep all of this in perspective, here are the facts! In 2000, there were just over 35 million American citizens aged 65 or older. By 2030, according to the US Census Board, there will be about 70 million Americans aged 65 or older. It makes this age group almost 20% of the total US population. Source… Living in an “Aging in Place” home may be a wise choice for you or a loved one! For additional information: Aging in Place... In any season of the year, you will love these crock pot recipes. Colder weather calls for warm, home cooked meals, but they are also enjoyable in warmer weather because of the convenience! These are the days when your crock pot becomes your best friend! “Throw-all-the-ingredients-in-and-walk-away” is definitely my kind of recipe! We’ve gathered some of the best “comfort food” recipes for you to enjoy below! Just click on each title for the recipe. Enjoy! 1. Crock Pot Tater Tot Casserole        Mesothelioma is an incurable, asbestos-related cancer that typically affects the lining of the lungs. Symptoms can include shortness of breath, dry coughing, and chest pain. There is a long latency period associated with mesothelioma and asbestos exposure. Due to the long latency period of mesothelioma, approximately 20-50 years, about 80% of those who are diagnosed with this terrible disease are seniors. The average age of mesothelioma patients is 69. Pleural mesothelioma accounts for 75% of cases. It forms on the soft tissue covering the lungs and sometimes abdomen. The prognosis for this type of cancer is poor because there is no cure, and the cancer is aggressive once it develops. Those who can undergo multimodal therapy, which is a combination of two or more treatments, have an improved prognosis. And some mesothelioma survivors have lived a long time despite the poor prognosis. Fortunately, for seniors and their families, there are treatment options and advocacy centers, such as The Pleural Mesothelioma Center. The Pleural Mesothelioma Center offers free assistance and resources to anyone coping with pleural mesothelioma, as well as their loved ones. This is done through patient advocacy, medical content from our accredited experts, public outreach, and a veterans department specifically for those who have served. Many mesothelioma survivors credit the people who supported them along the journey as vital to their survival, and that is exactly what we are here to do! 
Just print out the list below, add all the items on the list, and present them in a box or gift bag.
This is the perfect gift for the retiree’s party and will be the hit of the celebration. Everyone will be sure to enjoy it! These items could also be used as party decorations and party favors. Just use your creativity for a fun, memorable celebration! Items to include in the Survival Kit: Balloon: to start the celebration with a BANG! Gold Leaf: because you’re worth your weight in gold Love Heart Candy: to remind you to follow your heart Marker: retirement MARKS the beginning of a new journey! Elastic Band: try to stay flexible during your retirement years Candy Watch: to use your time wisely Marble: to help replace the ones you lost at work Tea Bag: retirement is just one long tea (or coffee) break! Seeds: For all the seeds of knowledge you have sown Starburst Candy: For a burst of energy when you need it! Straw: to have a drink & let your hair down Money: to help with your retirement fund Candle: to keep your future bright Toothpick: to pick out the best in every day Confetti: to remember that life is a party, and the best is yet to come! M & M’s (share size): share your M & M’s with your retiree friends Image Source…  How can you provide support when a friend is grieving the loss of a loved one during this pandemic. You definitely want to support your friend through the grieving process, but how do you do that when there is no memorial service or funeral and when we are all supposed to be practicing “social distancing?” This is a dilemma that many people are facing and will continue to face in the coming weeks and months. David Kessler, a Los Angeles-based authority on grief and founder of Grief.com, (and who is in a similar situation) stated that “this is a strange new world of grief." “If we can’t gather for a funeral, mourning becomes very complicated.” In the blink of an eye, our country's burial rituals which have traditionally helped people through the grieving process have changed. One thing that hasn’t changed: informing friends and family about a recent death. You can do this by using a variety of methods: 1) Phone Calls 2) Technology - Including social media, live streaming, video calls, texting, etc. 3) Newspaper Obituaries 4) In Person (when appropriate) - Visit the gravesite - Drop off food and/or takeout - Go for a walk or bike ride with your friend - Volunteer at a charity in your friend's name One Final Thought: We’re all struggling during this health crisis, but people mourning the deaths of their loved ones really need our support. While you may not be able to offer comfort through traditional grieving rituals, we hope these suggestions can help in a time when it is so needed. Source... Yes, parents stuff can be a boomer burden! Many baby boomers and those in the over 50 group are facing the inevitable in life. They have aging parents or their parents have already passed away. Besides coping with the emotional burden, there is also the matter of the financial aspect of a death and also dealing with your parents stuff. It can certainly be overwhelming!  Top 4 suggestions for action to take now and later: 1. Start Now – If parents are alive and willing, ask if they would like help in deciding what they want done with their belongings when they die. They might also want to start giving things away to family and friends while they are still alive. 2. Savor Memories – One way to remember a loved one is to make shadow boxes containing mementos of their hobbies and activities. They take up much less room and provide pleasant memories of a loved one. They can also be made for other members of the family. They make nice mementos for grand children and nieces and nephews. 3. Don’t Wait Too Late – You will be surprised to know that your aging parent (s) would actually welcome help in culling out possessions. It is a good time for them to reflect back on their life. It is also an excellent way to find out more about their life that you maybe didn’t even know! Communicate with your parents early! 4. Dealing with Siblings – Keep in mind when working with siblings in this situation that there are differences in how things should be done. Some adult children just want to “get it done” without giving much time or thought to the process. There are also those that want to touch each item and reminisce to great lengths. Come up with a plan on how you are going to deal with your parent’s possessions that will be workable for all to handle. Professional organizer, Claudia Smith, advocates a simple rule of thumb. “We spend our first 40 years in life collecting things and the second 40 years getting rid of things.” How to Deal with Your Parents Stuff!
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