Day Six: Favorite Things-Photography

Another of my favorite things is taking pictures.  For me, photography is another way of connecting to the life around me.  It can be a sliver, a microscopic taste, a vast ocean of nothing or everything, containing the frailty and tragedy as well as the miraculous glorious joy of life.  It is a tiny time capsule created by a captured instant that catapults the viewer into a rich inner world of association, the interpretation created by the layers making up the viewer and their unique experiences and beliefs.

Most of my photos tend to be of nature, moments when I am out walking, running, working in the yard or traveling and are taken with a simple point and shoot camera or my cell phone.  I have not yet developed a knack for taking photos of others although I do snap quite a few of these too.  I generally create a folder for each month and save all the pictures I take to that folder, the exception being for special trip or excursions that have their very own folder. 

The pictures are a diary for me and as soon as I see them I am transported back to the moment, no words required.  Here are a few of my favorite photos.

What does photography mean to you?  Please feel free to share a link to your own work in the comments section below.

 

Taken with cell phone, field bathed in bright light

 

Taken with point and shhot camera, crooked creek

 

Taken with cell phone, summer clouds

 

Taken with cell phone, dogwood in bloom

 

Taken with point and shoot, walk along the beach

 

Taken with point and shoot, daughter by fortune and husband

 

Taken with point and shoot, creek bed from moutain hike



Taken with point and shoot, flower on mountain hike

Taken with point and shoot,

 

 

 

Day Five: Favorite Things-Just Being

I fretted a bit about missing a post after making the commitment to have 14 so here is my day late post.  The reason I missed the post is because I was just living, being, doing.....the normal stuff.  Nothing special in some ways, but wonderful in others.

The day started with a cold Alan had developed taking a turn for the worse and him needing a little extra attention.  So I made sure he was comfortable and had everything he needed and figured I would be able to get to the post later in the afternoon since it was my day off from running.  Then Alan mentioned he thought we would head back to our other house early since he was sick and working from home and maybe we would leave that night, so I started packing. 

Just as I had finished packing and sat down at the computer the phone rang and it was my brother on the other end saying his car had over-heated.  He wasn't sure if it would require a simple fix or a major fix but wondered if I would be around.  So I began shifting gears and then wondered what we would have for dinner because feeding people is something I do and since we were planning to head home that evening I had not made plans for dinner. 

And I went and picked-up my brother.
And he did spend the night.
And I thawed out 2 jars of frozen chicken and vegetable soup I had just made a couple of weeks ago.
And we had a wonderful dinner, the three of us and Miss Butters.
And we laughed and discussed the crazy elections and the debate from the night before.
And my brother worked a little bit.
And I read a little bit of a new book.
And Alan read the news online.
And we made plans for the next day and went to bed full of love. 

Day Four: Favorite Things-Cinnamon Dusted Truffles-AKA Energy Balls

Cinnamon Dusted Truffles

Around here I refer to these as energy balls but truffle comes closer to the decadence of these little treats.  Packed with protein and good fats, these are my go to snack. Plus the Cacao is packed with magnesium and iron.  If you are new to Cacao you can find it at places like Whole Foods, the Healthy Home Market if you live in Charlotte, NC, or likely at your local health food type store.  The recipe below is my adaptation from a recipe I found two years ago on the blog The Byrdfeeder.

I hope you enjoy!!

Cinnamon Dusted Truffles

Yield:  35-40 Truffles

2 cups chopped raw walnuts
1/2 cup raw cacao nibs
1 cup organic raisins
4 tablespoons Almond Butter (salted or unsalted)
1 pinch fine sea salt

2-3 tablespoons of cinnamon (for coating)

Mix all the ingredients together in a food processor.  I don’t have a food processor myself so I mix the nuts, raisins, cacao and sea salt in small batches in the blender and then hand adding in the almond butter in a medium bowl.

After combining all the ingredients, I then hand roll the mixture into quarter sized balls and place on a baking sheet covered in wax paper.  Once all the truffles have been rolled I fill a small ramekin with the 2-3 tablespoons of cinnamon and roll one truffle at a time, gentling shaking the ramekin back and forth causing the truffle to roll round and round and coat itself in cinnamon.  The truffles will begin to darken to a nice espresso color as the oils from the truffle combines with the cinnamon.
 
Place all truffles back on the wax paper lined cookie sheet and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes. 

I then divide the truffles into two containers; one for the refrigerator and one for the freezer.  These keep in the refrigerator for approximately 2 weeks and in the freezer for 6 months, although to be honest I doubt they will hang around your house that long!
If the mix is to wet you can add more nuts to get a drier consistency.

If the mix is too dry you can add more almond butter.

If you are not fond of cinnamon, cocoa powder or fine shredded coconut are also wonder coating choices.

Based on the nutritional data on the packages of ingredients I used, I broke down the nutritional information below.

Food	Calories	Fat	Carbs	Protein	Sugars
Walnuts	1600	160	24	40	0
Raisins	1040	0	248	8	232
Cacao	520	48	40	16	0
Almond Butter	760	68	24	32	8
Total	3920	276	336	96	240
# Energy Balls	33	33	33	33	33
Nutrition Per Each	119	8	10	3	7

In-Process Photos

Ingredients

 

Before Processing

 

Ready for the Cinnamon

Day Three: Favorite Things-Running

Sun climbing through the trees on an early morning run

First let me say I am new at running.  I began walking at a beautiful heavily wooded park two years ago when I quit smoking.  The walking, stretching my legs and lungs, and connecting with the outside world helped me make it through this change.

Six months later I began going to a local greenway with my husbands sister.  She was recovering from a speed skating accident and began walking with me and encouraging me to run between certain marked positions and to walk through others ultimately helping me to build my endurance and confidence. 

After we moved to Charlotte, I began running in the cemetery near our condo.  The cemetery met my needs for tranquility and for nature as it is a large green space.  I was also still shy about running in front of others and was not confident to run on the streets and sidewalks around town. On average I ran 1-2 miles 3-4 times a week.

In March of this year I started running everyday with my brother who decided to take up the sport again.  Then my sister let me know that she and my other siblings had signed up for a 5k and so we signed up too.  After several 5K's and one 8K my brother challenged me to a 1/2 marathon. 

I am now just 4 weeks away from my first 1/2 marathon, the Savannah GA Rock and Roll Marathon and 1/2 Marathon and am now running 25-30 miles per week, 5 days a week.

Why do I love running?  Well for one thing it quiets my avid monkey mind.  Don't get me wrong it is still at work but on new subject matter such as bargaining how to cut out a few miles or at what landmark would make a good breaking point.  I also love how it has made my city and other cities I have ran in seem so much smaller.    If you really want to get to know your community, go run (or walk) it.  You will see all the beauty and nuances that are missed by driving.  Hidden alleyways and gardens are stumbled upon, architectural details are seen up close, and I get to see the people that make up my city and neighborhood as well.  One of the greatest parts of running is being out doors; seeing, feeling and smelling the seasons change, hearing and watching the birds (city hawks and the tam-like finches), looking for feathers and little snail shells and four leaf clovers....being in touch with my environment. 

On my thirtieth birthday by best friend Vila said something to me that I took as a challenge.  She didn't mean it that way but it startled me and make me think of the brevity of this life and the choices I made.  She said that whatever choices and behaviors you had developed by 30 you would likely have for the rest of your life.  On the eve of my fortieth birthday I truly feel stronger in body and in spirit than I did 10 years ago and I thank Vila for being a catalyst for that...and for her love and friendship and support no matter what habits or behaviors I have had over the years.

"There are as many reasons for running as there are days in the year, years in my life. But mostly I run because I am an animal and a child, an artist and a saint. So, too, are you. Find your own play, your own self-renewing compulsion, and you will become the person you are meant to be." - George Sheehan

Day Two: Favorite Things-Meditation



My Sister's Buddha

 "Tranquility hides in small places ,and when found must  be treasured, because you know it's a phantom that will slip away again." Diane Ackerman

 

I practice meditation.  Not often enough to receive the full benefit I believe is possible but often enough to know it can have a profound and instant effect on my mood and overall physical well being.  I don't subscribe to a lot of rules about it either, believing that there are different ways to do it and right ways and wrong ways for the individual but no one set universal way.  But that is just my take on it.  I meditate to relax, to release, to reconnect, and to calm.  Meditation raises my energy level which may seem to contradict calmness, but it is more a release of energetic endorphins I suppose, a feeling of glowing. 

 

My first experience with meditation of any form came in college in a Human Behaviors course.  Our instructor talked about time management and about carving time out for ourselves.  In retrospect I see that I had a ton to learn here had I just paid more attention to the lesson instead of the grade.  Being hard headed means that I have come to some of life's gifts much later than others. He was trying to teach us to seek out quiet moments for ourselves, so we could reconnect with the core essence of who we are, so we could recalibrate and restore.  I remember laying on the carpeted floor in his class room, lights out & limbs sprawling, as he talked us through relaxing starting at our toes and wiggling up to our eye balls as we relaxed every fiber of our being. I fell asleep at some point, just briefly, and jarringly woke up from that falling feeling where you "catch yourself" that feels like jumping out of your skin. It was amazing!

 

When I first began taking yoga I lived for the very end of class when we would gather in a circle, each of us sitting cross legged on the edge of our cushions.  Slowly we would breath in and as we released the breath we would release the tension with it gentling rolling our neck from side to side and releasing our shoulders.  And then came the OM.  In unison we would begin to OM, our teachers voice deep and powerful, vibrating outward to our own little OM's rattling in our chests until eventually it was one golden OM, no one's voice recognizable from another.

 

Sometimes I use meditation like a prayer to send out positive energy to those on my mind, visualizing healing and lightness of being for them.  Sometimes I look up You-Tube meditations that are guided and follow along. 

 

Right now I am really enjoying Toning. Toning is the creation of extended vocal sounds on a single vowel in order to experience the sound and its effects in other parts of the body.  I consider it meditation because it creates for me a profound amount of peace and energy, and I do it intentionally as a recalibration and cleansing...it feels like the vibrations from the sounds create space within me and release negative energy and feelings.  

The first time I heard of toning was in Diane Ackerman's One Hundred Names for Love:  A Stroke, A Marriage, and the Language of Healing.  She described how she made these noises upon rising in the morning.  I was reading the book on a semi-deserted beach and decided to give it a try.  I immediately began smiling.  In part because I felt so silly, and also because I felt like a whale or dolphin calling out to her sisters in the sea.  It was the setting most likely.  I did some research on what I was doing after we returned from our trip and learned those sounds are called Toning.

 

Below are some tips on Specific Toning Exercises.  I typically just go through the vowels A-E-I-O-U as this is easy for me to remember without referring to any materials, but the intent behind the vowels is energy specific  and can help with specific needs. 

 

Vowels and Energy

There are many vowel sounds in the human language.

For toning we begin by focusing on several principal sounds. Remember, this is not a list of universal truths, just some traditional suggestions for you to begin with.

Vowel	Possible Attributes or Related Perceptions
UU ("who")	grounding, calming, relaxing, awareness of physicality, gives sensation of depth, base of spine
OH ("go")	conscious self-image, identity issues, solar plexus self-confidence, individuality
AH ("car")	centering, expanding, pleasant heartfelt emotions, gives sensation of breadth, heart area
EY ("pray")	self-expression, communication, listening throat and neck
EE ("knee")	energizing, awakening, mental and physical stamina, gives sensation of length, head
MM (humming, lips closed)	balancing, harmonizing and integrating, the subtlest and most powerful sound
Examples of vowel combinations for balancing and centering (to be vocalized as one continuous full-breath tone exhalation): "UU-AH-EE-MM" Balance and energize. Morning wakeup. "MM-EE-AH-UU" Balance and relax. Before bedtime.

Note: this is a list of just a few traditional suggestions to begin with. Your own awareness may be quite different; that's fine! These are just starting points. There is no "normal" toning experience, only "your" experience! With practice, your inner wisdom will guide you and tell you what vowels you need.

 

Do you practice any form of meditation? 

 

 

 

Day One: Favorite Things-Bath Fizzies

Half-Round Bath Fizzy

One of my favorite go-to's for relaxation is taking a long hot bath.  It is symbolic for me of literally letting the worries wash away.  There is something so soothing and timeless about being enveloped in warm water with scented steam rising all around.  I have long loved using Epsom salts and sea salts mixed with essential oils in the bath but my sister-in-law Ronda was the first person to introduce me to the pleasure of the Bath Fizzy also known as a Bath Bomb.  She is a fan of the store Lush and gifted me a huge swirly pink bath fizzy from their store during one of her visits to our home.  This gave me the idea of trying to make my own.  You may have better luck in your area but after looking unsuccessfully in every local store here I finally purchased my citric acid on line. My only experience ordering Citric Acid is with My Spice Sage and I found their costs reasonable and their product (including some spices I additionally purchased) of high quality.  

If you would like a few bath bombs mailed to you please leave a note in the comments about why you like baths.  I will pick one person at random on Day 14 and mail the winner two bath bombs.

 Reasons to make your own Bath Fizzies:

• You know the exact ingredients in them. You can choose organic, natural, synthetic, etc.
• You can create your own signature scents by combining essential oils.
• You can create it with a specific need in mind (relaxation, to treat a cold, dry skin, etc).
• They are fun to make and relatively inexpensive.
• They make great gifts to give any time of the year.
• So you can take more baths!

Why I use the ingredients listed and what they do:

• Citric Acid creates the fizziness of the bath bomb when it comes into contact with water.
• Baking Soda is a gentle skin softener and exfoliant.
• Epsom Salts  contain a significant amount of magnesium which helps elevate moods and relax sore and achy muscles.
• Sea Salts are purifying and add a natural element that makes me think of the ocean.
• Essential Oils serve not only for aromatic purposes but depending on the type of oil used can also heal in different ways.
• Shea Butter (unrefined) is a wonderful moisturizer.

Bath Fizzy Recipe

Yields approximately 10-14 Medium Bath Fizzies

3 Cups Baking Soda (About 32 Ounces)

1 ½ Cups Citric Acid

1 ½ Epsom Salt

¾ Cup Sea Salt

2 Teaspoons Melted Shea Butter (Optional)

Essential Oil(s) of your choice (100 drops +/-)

Spray Bottle of Filtered Water (note-add LAST)

Other

Glass Bowl

Another small bowl with lid

Wooden or Plastic Spoon

Mold for Bath Fizzy

Wax Paper

*Note:  I use glass and wooden bowls and spoons as the salts can rust metal (it is not pretty)

 Reserve Mixture

1 Cup Baking Soda

½ Cup Citric Acid

 ·         First mix your reserve mixture in a small bowl ensuring it is thoroughly mixed and all lumps are gone.  I stir well with a wooden spoon and then use my hands to get out any remaining lumps.  You can use a sifter if you prefer.  Set aside.

·    Mix all of the dry ingredients in a large glass bowl and ensure they are all thoroughly integrated and all lumps are gone. 

·       Add the melted Shea Butter to the dry mixture.  You can use any other type of carrier oil you like or even omit the oil all together.  I think a little extra moisturizer is nice so I add this.  The Shea Butter will clump into little balls in the dry mixture.  Continue stirring the mixture and pressing the little balls into the dry mixture until there are no lumps.  Again you can use your hands for this as well.

·      Begin adding the essential oil or oils of your choice.  I typically begin adding 15-20 drops at a time per scent and mix.  The Essential Oils will also form small lumps/balls and in the dry mixture and requires repeated stirring and using the spoon to press the balls into the dry mixture.  You can continue adding Essential oil or oils until you find just the right level of scent for your preference.

·         The last step is to carefully begin adding water one spray at a time.  I spray with one hand and mix with the other until I can tell the mixture is beginning to stick and clump together.  You can also hear the mixture hiss from the chemical reaction between the citric acid and water.  If you use too much water, add in the reserve mixture of baking soda and citric acid you created.  One way you can tell you have added too much water is when you place the mixture into the mold(s) and it grows/swells out of the mold.  If this happens add a few tablespoons of the reserve dry mix to the remainder of your scented mix until it still holds a form but is not swelling.  And if it does swell, there are no real worries, it just may not fizz as much and it will not be as dense as it could be.

·         Press the completed mixture into molds of your choice pressing the mixture firmly into the mold and adding mix until the mold is packed and full.

• Note I use two different types of molds as shown shown below.

 

Star Silicone Mold

 

Half Round Plastic Mold

 

• I have a plastic half round mold I use to make individual bath fizzies that I pack and set on wax paper.  These take about 1-2 days to dry.
• I also use a silicone baking mold and actually bake the bath fizzies in the oven on 170 (my lowest heat setting) for approximately 1 hour.  Then I cool and turn these out onto wax paper.
• You can also leave the fizzies in the silicone tray and let them air dry for 2-3 days.. 
• Any item that is small and easily held in your hand and gently squeezed so it will release the bath fizzy could serve as your mold.  Again I would advise against using metal.  Plastic, glass and silicone are the best material types for your mold.

·       You may want to label the fizzy with the date as they lose their effectiveness and scent as time passes.  I would say they are good for 6 months to a year after their made date.
 

I store my bath fizzies in wax paper or plastic bags but they would store beautifully in a glass container.