Update on Space Orville

My husband, Jeff Whelan, has been marketing his eBook Space Orville, and has quite a few reviews on Amazon that are really amazing. Check out his blog and this wonderful review. 

My Delicious Chicken Salad Recipe

A week ago a cast member of the play I'm in, "The Dining Room" (by A.R. Gurney), brought in some wonderful home-grown vegetables along with some oregano and Thai Basil. Wanting to use the basil right away, but having nothing to use it for, I found a small glass jar (4 oz.) and filled it with extra virgin Olive oil. I then cleaned the basil, muddled it a bit, and stirred it into the olive oil. I then put it in the refrigerator. (You can keep this infusion for a week.) The olive oil will solidify, this is fine. When you want to use it, simply scoop out a tablespoon or two and set on the counter for 15 minutes (if you're in a hurry, you can stir it until it melts.)

OK, that part out of the way, here's the delicious recipe I created--thought there may be a few of you who have these ingredients on hand and may want to try!

Ingredients

1-2 teaspoons of fresh dill seed (or weed) --I got this directly from my garden
1 Fage yogurt (Greek yogurt with honey--you will add the honey since it acts as an emulsifier)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 scant teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed if you have it)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 heaping tablespoon of the olive oil infusion (described in first paragraph--I pulled out some of the Thai basil leaves and added them to the salad)

2 cups poached chicken cut in bite-sized cubes
1 large cucumber thinly sliced
1 small onion sliced in 1/2 rings
handful of red grapes, halved
1/2 cup chopped pecans (I toasted mine for 2 minutes in the toaster oven and they were perfect)


Mix the first 7 ingredients well. Add the remaining ingredients except the pecans.
Refrigerate for several hours. Toast pecans just before serving and sprinkle over top of salad.
Enjoy!

Youthful Yogini is Now 1 Year Old!

I just realized this morning as I was on hold with my vision care insurance company that it has been one year since I've started this blog, Youthful Yogini. This has given me a "hard" copy of my journey since last year.

It seems so often in life that we go by, day by day, on autopilot. Our morning rituals before heading out the door, working our allotted time, and then heading off for errands, or whatnot, before we go home and start the evening rituals. This blog, however, has enabled me to stop and examine certain situations and reflect on them. If I felt they had a good lesson, then I blogged about it. For example, my post on Weaving Imperfection into Life helped me to put the remodeling of my bathroom into perspective.

I also looked back and saw indications that I hadn't managed my pain before it got out of control. This prompted me to put together my Tips for Managing Chronic Pain. This continues to be my reminder that all is not out of control, and just by a little tweaking (or a lot, depending on the day), I can begin to get my pain under control. In that link you will find "recipes" to help make homemade hotpacks and coldpacks.

This blog has also opened up a new world to me: Indie Authors! My husband, Jeff Whelan, published his first book, a YA humorous science fiction novel, called Space Orville. Jeff started tweeting to promote his book, and in doing so, mentioned my blog to other indie authors. In the process I met some wonderful indie authors; one of whom, Martha Bourke, has become a good friend. I also had the pleasure to interview Kristie Haigwood whose story was a page turner as well.

I am amazed at how much I have learned throughout this year and how much I have enjoyed blogging. Initially I thought I would blog only about yoga, but as it turns out, we are more than just the sum of our parts. Wouldn't you agree?

Baby's First Bath

This morning I was clicking through Elephant Journal when I came across this beautifully innocent video of Baby's First Bath. You just have to take a look. Brought tears to my eyes it did...

It reminded me of when I used to bath my boys in our bathroom sink (on a smaller scale than what is shown here.) They absolutely loved the running water and floating in the sink. This is such a peaceful video that you will feel so relaxed when you are finished watching it! Namaste.

Body Lotion: Excellent and Cheap!

I have had dry skin for as long as I can remember and have had to lotion my body after every bath or shower. I have used many different products, and have found that there is not a big difference between the expensive and moderately priced brands. I have found a way to make my skin very soft with just two simple ingredients. First I find a cheap lotion at the Dollar Store that contains urea in it. This ingredient helps to eat away at the red bumps I have on the back of my arms. The second ingredient is PURE (not extra virgin) olive oil.

Here's what I do:  First I create a circle of lotion in the palm of my hand with a hollow in the middle. I then carefully fill in the hollow with the olive oil. The reason I do this is because when I rub my hands together the oil doesn't run down my arms. This method seems to work best.

I then lotion my entire body with the lotion/olive oil mixture. You can add or decrease the amount of olive oil. If you add too much, you might find that your skin is a bit slick. Since mine is dry, it soaks it right up. Then if you are so bold, mix and match some of your favorite essential oils by added just a few drops to the mixture. You may have to make sure you are not allergic to any of the oils first. I found out the hard way with ylang ylang. My favorite combination is a woody sandalwood and sweet orange.

Try it! You'll like it!

Paper Beads made into Earrings!

A week or so ago, I posted a picture showing the beads I made from magazines! Well, now I've made them into earrings. They are really cool. I've added a diamond glaze to them so they actually have the texture of plastic. Makes them more durable for sure.  Check them out at my site! http://www.etsy.com/shop/YouthfulYogini

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!!!

Hangin' on Tight!

A Funny Thing Happened...

I just had to share this so I won't forget it. Last week my family and I went to Wisconsin Dells for a few days to spend at the water park. There, they have this terrific candy store called Goody Goody Gumdrop where there was an abundance of all types of candy. So what does my youngest son want? A Hershey's bar.


Me: D____!   Stop petting your chocolate!
D____:       I'm not petting it.
Me:          Then what do you call that?
D____:       Stroking!

Making Beads

Every now and then I get restless and need to create. I love making jewelry, but had taken a hiatus when my kids were very young. It seems I get a bit more time to myself these days, and my interest has picked up again.

I started making beads from magazines. What fun! I'm not that good at it yet, but I feel with practice, I'll be making quite a bit of beads. I am looking at magazines in a different way than I did before. I like the pages that have multiple colors on them so I can create colorful beads. Here are a few of the beads I've made (they still need to be glazed, but for now, this is the rough version.): Link to a great website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnTWQ77g1Y4


With accent beads, I know these will be fun. They are so colorful, it's hard to get a sense what they are really like. After I've glazed them, I will take a pic, then again after I've created jewelry. (Hey at least it didn't cost me anything to do!)

Enjoy your weekend, all!!!

Handmade Jewelry

Hey All!
I am so excited! I just put my jewelry (earrings for the time being) on Etsy. I had thought about doing eBay years ago, but the process is so very frustrating.

Please check it out and give me your feedback. I have not put a banner up yet because inspiration hasn't struck yet, but at least the earrings are there.

Very exciting! Enjoy your day!