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(Excerpt from May 2007 Butterfly Wings, the It's Me Annabelle Inc. Email Magazine)

To my family, friends and bouquet of readers,

It is the time of year for flowers in bloom. Since I can remember, in our garden at home, there was the beautiful smell of rose bushes. I can see their buds and faces, yellow and pink, basking in the sunlight. Roses find admirers due to their diverse and multi-faceted splendor.

At my son's wedding there were mini roses at every woman's place to take home. What a delightful and elegant touch to an already perfect occasion, and a nod to Cupid's flower of choice; the symbol of love and beauty.

Rosehips are the fleshy, bright-colored fruit of the rose plant that you will find left on the bush if you restrain from cutting the blossoms. They look like dark red cherry tomatoes and are rich in vitamin C, A and K. The visible red pigment is due to the presence of lycopene, which has been researched as a cancer inhibiting substance. Rosehips offer great support for the immune system and can help to fight free radicals. Rose hip jelly was once a popular treat and still remains a staple in Northern European countries.

Today the rose is very much in vogue for its healing properties, although our romance with this flower was noted as early as Roman times. The rose is mentioned in skin care products; toners, lip care and facial products, as rose essential oil supports skin circulation, has a strong toning effect and helps to diminish redness. Rose oil improves the structure of the skin and has been used to help in healing radiation burns of cancer patients; being gentle enough for use in baby products. It is interesting to note that it takes approximately 60,000 roses to produce just 1 oz of Rose Oil, or about two & half dozen roses to make just one drop!

Rose petals are used in spa treatments around the world. At Canyon Ranch, a Spa in Tucson, Arizona, there is a wonderful treatment with pink rose petals used to add to the elegance and the luxuriousness of the signature body treatment. Imagine being covered in rose petals, how delicious!

In our daily lives, busy, hectic at times, I'd like to share with you that it is so nice to stop and smell the roses.

As Always,
It's Me
Annabelle

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