Art Game: All About Lemon

Visit Dolly at http://allaboutlemon.com/art-game/ to add your flair! Post to your own blog and let Dolly know. She'll do the rest!!!

Don't worry, Kitty! I'll save you!

Gluten-Free for 7 days

OK, I lied, I accidentally had gluten in a rye cracker--didn't know rye contained gluten. However, my mom read my blog and wondered how I was feeling. I told her I was still angry and wondered if I were having gluten withdrawal. Well, my mom, doctor-wannabe, searched the internet and found these sites that showed many people with the same symptoms I'm having (some even as I type this): nervousness, anger, depression, and at times, ravenously hungry. It seems that gluten can act as a drug that can be addictive like heroin! ????? What? That sounds insane...but if this is the case, I have got a few more weeks of detox before I can put this all behind me. OK, so here are the links to the sites she sent to me. Hope it helps any of you out there who is trying to go gluten free.

http://www.livingwithout.com/issues/4_8/giving_up_gluten-2024-1.html

http://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/topic/68222-withdrawal-symptoms/

http://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/topic/88678-anger/

The Subtleties of the Breath

Think about it: Our breath is magical, spiritual, recycled, and wonderfully sustaining. If you allow your mind to think of every breath as inhaling all of Mother Earth, there's no stopping us!

When I went to  Rod Stryker conference in Chicago on March 17th, we ended the morning session with Savasana. I experienced my breath in a way that I've never experienced it before. We were told to follow our breath starting from the crown of our head to our belly. And when the pause in between breaths happened, a delightful swirling of air twirled around in my throat and mouth. In my mind's eye, it looked like smoke swirling around a glass container. I had the image of opening my mouth and allowing the breath to meet Spirit, then travel back through the crown of my head to be recycled. With this image, I became supremely relaxed and profoundly peaceful. 

When I am stressed, I try to recapture that breath and allow it to fill my inner spaces and calm my mind and release tension in my muscles. The breath can be homeopathic medicine and magic all in one!

Lovely Blog Award

I was awarded this blog by my wonderful hubby, Jeff Whelan, indie author of Space Orville. So, I have to wonder, is this nepatism? Not sure, but I really am flattered none-the-less. Now, if I understand correctly, I have to share this with 15 or so bloggers and tell 7 things about myself. So here goes:

1. First and foremost I have the most amazing family in the world. My husband is my soul mate and best friend, my two boys complete me more than I can even believe, and I enjoy every moment I have with them.
2. I have a very fulfilling yoga and meditation practice. Without it my body would be screaming in pain, and my mind would be all aflutter!
3. I teach students who are deaf and hard of hearing. I've been doing this for 19 years. I mostly love my job, and try to remember that on difficult days.
4. I absolutely love the outdoors. My favorite things to do outside are camp (tho' tent camping is getting harder the older I get), walk/hike, and garden.
5. I am a Zumba fan! The longer I attend classes, the better my hips obey me!
6. I'm a lover of creative endeavors. I make jewelry, soap (tho' that's been a few years), candles, and any new crafts I happen to come across.
7. I act in community theater (as does Jeff--and my kids in children community theater). I will appear in the play "The Dining Room" this September.

OK, so here are the blogs I enjoy:
1. Jeff Whelan
2. Teach Mentor Texts
3. Good Life Road
4. Obsession with Books
5. All About Lemon
6. Ponderous Things
7. Suzanne Morrison
8. K.S. Haigwood
9. Lynn Hasselberger

Here's the problem: I do not have any more blogs than this! Sorry, but I have to stick to nine. Oh, well, don't  hurt me!!!

4th Day of Gluten-Free

OK, I'm going to track these changes so I can see where I've come from. First off, it's quite a challenge finding staple items that are gluten free. For example, I use cream soups in some of my recipes--they contain wheat! Some meats contain wheat (what?!) So being a bit discouraged is probably part of the package. But what I do notice is that I'm not bloated any more--honestly, I didn't realize how much I was bloated before until now. I also don't crave foods the way I did before. Hmmmm.....makes me wonder if gluten is like a drug that you can't get enough of.  But here's something that happening that I'm not sure about and I don't like:  I'm angry! Is it because I feel forced into this or am I not getting the "gluten" fix that my body has depended on.

So I'm asking those of you who eat gluten free if this has happened to you? I'm a bit concerned. So I will see how this plays out. (Maybe this is all part of the grieving. I'm not sure...)


Enjoy your weekend, All! Namaste.

Art Game: The Rat Ate the Cheese

BUT HE'S MY FRIEND!!!

Visit Dolly at http://allaboutlemon.com/art-game/ to add your flair! Post to your own blog and let Dolly know. She'll do the rest!!!

Author Interview: Martha Bourke, Jaguar Sun

I have the great pleasure of featuring indie author Martha Bourke. She has written a beautifully-penned novel called Jaguar Sun. What follows is my interview with her. Enjoy!

Tell us a little bit about your YA paranormal, Jaguar Sun. Jaguar Sun is the story of Maya Delaney, a typical sixteen-year-old high school junior of Mayan descent. She’s busy dealing with exams, her soon to be ex-boyfriend and fitting in. But Maya’s got bigger problems. She’s hiding a major secret from her dad and having strange visions she can’t control. In her struggle to figure out who she is, she learns that she is meant to fulfill an ancient Mayan Prophesy and bring forth a New Age on earth. Maya finds herself at the very center of a plot over the transition to take place when the Mayan Calendar ends on December 21, 2012. And on top of that, she and her friends are beginning to develop strange powers. Faced with learning to harness her new abilities in time to bring the world to a positive transition, Maya must reevaluate her relationships, identity, and her place in the world. But will the spirit magic she wields be enough to defeat Toltec, an evil society bent on keeping Maya from her destiny? Or will that destiny destroy her?

Is writing your side job or do you do this full time? Currently, I’m on sabbatical from teaching. So writing is my full time occupation at this time. I hope that will continue. I probably won’t make that decision until after the release of Book 2. I’ve planned for the series to be 3-5 books.

How long have you been writing--what is your inspiration? I’ve been writing since the third or fourth grade. It started with poetry and then short stories by middle school. By high school I was writing novellas for my friends. My inspiration is my imagination, which is very vivid to say the least! I have to do something with it or who knows what could happen!

How did you get the idea for JS? I was a Spanish teacher for fifteen years. So I taught Spanish language and culture. I had always wanted to write a book with lots of Hispanic characters and a strong female protagonist. So my interest in foreign cultures and mythology, and my love of YA came together and JS was the result.

I couldn't help wonder while I was reading: What's up with the mom other than being a dead beat? Are Maya's father and mother Mayan? Will you explore more of their characters in later sequels? I hope so. I want to know more about them. Maya’s loser-mom, as she calls her, is out of the picture completely and will stay there. Maya’s maternal influence comes from her grandmother, Rosa, and that will remain the same. It is possible we will see more of Maya’s father in future books. You never know! Maya’s indigenous roots come from her maternal grandmother. So Maya’s mother would be half Mayan. We know that Maya’s father is at least half Irish from the surname Delaney. He is neither Hispanic nor Mayan.

I love the way you describe the energies that flow around Maya--you're very articulate--it seems the energies are flowing thru me as I read the story. So now my question: have you dabbled in tarot, spirituality, or just researched them. (My guess is you have some experience in that area.) I actually have no real experience with tarot. That was all from research. I love to write YA paranormal books and I love researching for it. It’s so much fun. I am a very spiritual person, with both a Yoga practice and regular meditation. I also have a very strong connection to nature. A lot of that probably comes from growing up in Vermont. So I suppose it’s not surprising that I used a lot of earth-based magic in the book.  

Have you written in other genres? Do you have other books that you have written or are in the process of writing? I wrote one stand-alone novel about five years ago. It’s a Middle Grade paranormal. I doubt it will ever see the light of day, but I think it was an important stepping stone for my writing. I’m more suited to YA. Right now I’m writing Book 2 in the Jaguar Sun Series, Jaguar Moon. It’s due out in the fall.

Where can readers connect with you?

Website: http://www.jaguarsunseries.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jaguarsunseries

Twitter: http://twitter.com/martha_bourke

Buy Jaguar Sun: Amazon Kindle and paperback http://amzn.to/wWLlEu

Smooch From Betty Boop!

A Smooch for YOU, Dolly!

Go to All About Lemon and add your picture to your blog, let Dolly know, and she'll post it! Dolly is so much fun! Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Diet Challenge

Over a year ago, my gynecologist suggested I try a gluten-free diet to manage my chronic pain. I told her there was no way I'd do that! Too many staples that I'd have to give up. But this past year has been a struggle, and I figured, why not. Unfortunately for me, all change has to go thru my grieving filter. Sheesh, it's just a diet for heaven's sake! But, alas, this is me.

So Jeff and I today went to Hyvee. They were having a gluten-free presentation in their club house. We got a lot of ideas, then left the grocery store with $65 worth of gluten-free food (three bags' worth). Jeff can shop weekly and have between 15-20 bags for only $200...we honestly can't keep up that kind of spending.

So if there are any of you out there who have tried or are on a gluten-free diet, please share your tricks/recipes/ideas on how to eat gluten-free on a budget. It seem so exorbitant to just remove a seemingly simple ingredient from foods. AND did you know that soy sauce has gluten, and so do the cream soups that I use in cooking. I'm about ready to scream!

I know there is a way to do this, and now that I have the summer off, I'd like to devote some time to trying out different recipes, making recipes in bulk and freezing, just to cut down on the price a bit.

So there you have it? Any takers on how to do this more efficiently or cost effectively? I'm open to any and all suggestions! Enjoy the beautiful day. Namaste.

Zumba Shoes

OK, what's all the fuss? I'm in my zumba class and I see lots of people wearing these Zumba Shoes . Are they any better than just plain old sneakers? Does anyone reading this blog have an answer?

I have a pair of Nike Air shoes. I like them because they give me the support I need (I also wear orthodics due to my insanely high arches). BTW, these were a b-day gift from my parents--I would never buy such expensive shoes (except Birks, that is!)

There are a couple of moves which are difficult at best (these young whippersnappers that can move like the wind--sheesh!) where my shoes squeak as I move across the floor, and I can't help but wonder if these shoes prevent that? The only thing I can figure out is that they seem to have a thin sole and the Zumba logo on the side.

I'm not one to part with my money easily. If I could wear my Papillio Sandals to Zumba class I would. My feet only work in Birks!

OK, enough of my rambling...I just wondered if this was just a fashion craze. I leave Zumba class sweaty, my heart pounding, and I feel my endorphins having a hay-day in my body. So do I really need to look like a Zumba Goddess? (My guess is no!)

Have a great weekend! Namaste to all!