DIYY Do It Yourself Yoga

The first time I walked into a Yoga class I was so excited to learn.  I loved the comfy clothes and the no shoes rule.  The sound of water and spa music lulled me into a state of confidence that I could do this.  I knew I needed to learn to chill and relax (many peeps have confirmed this) and this was gonna be my ticket to calm.  The room was dark and full of other yogis.  I was late, of course, so I hurried to find a mat and take my place in the back.  The studio was wall to wall mirrors, which would prove to not be a good thing for me.  

The teacher started giving instructions and everyone moved in unison and assumed a pose.  Downward Dog she said, I thought, what the heck?  I didn’t think this was gonna be a sex position class.  I was alarmed for a minute, but decided to live and let live, so I pushed my butt in the air and started to breath loudly with everyone else.  We stayed there for what seemed forever.  Blood rushed to my head and I became aware that my arms were not prepared to hold my voluptuous body in that position for long.  I held it and prayed for another command from the teacher.  Low Cobra was the next command.  I watched the gal beside me and was relieved that this I could do.  The next pose we were on our feet in Warrior.  I managed to get myself in some semblance of the Warrior only to have my socks start sliding on the tile forcing me into the splits of sorts.  (That’s why I was the only one in socks!)  

I worked on the poses and took comfort in the instructors gentle assurance that we do “our version of the pose”  I was pretty sure she was looking at me every time she said that.  I love that there is no pressure to do the poses like anyone else.  However, the mirror reflected that my version was so far from everyone else’s version, that it seemed I was in another class.  Even sitting cross legged was painful!  I am not a flexible gal.  

Toward the end of the class the great Yogi woman said something like freestyle.  I watched in horror as everyone either stood on their heads or formed a living pretzel with their bodies which only made me think of food.  People were doing yoga magic that I could only dream about having a body that was capable of achieving.  So, what did I do? I just sat there in my version of cross legged meditation with my fingers forming that yoga prayer thing, and pretended to be relaxing.  Man, this yoga thing is not easy.  Maybe I’m not cut out for it.  I left discouraged.  I wanted to be a Yogi.  I longed for that command of my body!  I saw that Youtube guy that was like 400 pounds and how he slimmed down just by doing Yoga.  What is that matter with me I thought.  

I decided to try another class with people more my age.  I found another studio and wanted to try Restorative Yoga.  That sounded good!  I have plenty of restoring to do.  

I walked into the class, late of course, and loved it immediately.  I was the youngest in the class which was a dream to start with.  We laid on mats with lots of pillows around and a blanket.  The music was soft and the grand Yogi master woman spoke softly and slowly.  We pretty much stretched and relaxed and laid in different positions…breathing.  I was in love!  Then, during the final resting pose with everyone practically asleep, a gastric explosion somehow escaped my radar.  It was loud, very loud. The room was small and quiet and there was no way to escape blame for this colossal infraction.  I was horrified!  What in the hell????? I didn’t know what to do, so I just stayed there, breathing loudly, praying for it to be over. After the class, I folded up my equipment and hurried out of there in 2. 1 seconds.

So, even though my experiences with Yoga haven’t been all that I had hoped, I am undaunted.  Now I just practice in my living room, no mirrors, doing my version of the poses, relaxing and letting it rip if need be.  This is "my version” of Yoga.  Maybe someday I’ll be ready to practice with other Yogis on a hill in Tibet, but for now I’m DIYY. (Do It Yourself Yoga)

Out Of This World Peach Cobbler!

                       

I got this recipe from Food.com and changed a few things.
Try this!  Easy and amazing.  I used fresh peaches but you can              use frozen (thawed) or canned (drained).

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt butter in a 9 x 13 inch pan.
2. Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder & salt.
3. Stir in milk & egg.
4. Pour evenly over melted butter.
5. Combine peaches, sugar & spices and spread over batter-DO NOT STIR!
6. Bake 35-45 minutes at 350°F until batter comes to the top and is golden brown.
7. Serve warm with ice cream.
8. 1⁄2cup melted butter
9. 1 cup  flour
10. 1 cup  sugar
11. 2 teaspoons  baking powder
12. 1⁄4teaspoon  salt
13. 2⁄3cup room temperature Silk Almond Milk Original or regular milk
14. 1 room temperature egg

15. Filling

    
    

    4  cups peaches  (I used fresh peaches) frozen or canned                          

    
    

    1   cup  sugar 

     

    1   teaspoon  cinnamon

    
    

    1⁄2   teaspoon  nutmeg

Can't Live Without My Friends!

I love my friends.  I have lots of them, but just a few that I would trust with anything. I think what I really love is people.  I find them interesting.  Whether they’re making me laugh my head off or really pissing me off, I still love them.  I thrive on relationships.  As I’ve gotten older I realize that relationships are what make me tick,  not things or projects or books or even food…well, maybe food.  Food and friends is the ultimate! Probably why I make time to eat with friends a lot.  There have been weeks where everyday is lunch with another friend.  

A more serious project driven person would think of me as a time waster of sorts.  I promise if I was remodeling my house or in the mist of painting or planting or cooking or anything, you come and say lets go get a burger, I’m in.  Not for the sake of the burger, much anyway, but for the chance to connect and talk and think about life together.

There is nothing better to me than laughing and talking with my friends.  I have made them laugh till they cried and they me. I have a childhood friend that can make me laugh so hard and so much that after an hour with her I feel like I’ve just run 5 miles.  Then another that helps me feel like I can do anything. Still another that is there in a minute if I need help.

Each friend brings something special and different to my life. There are some, a few, that I can cry the ugly cry with.  The soul cry, where I say exactly how I feel without worrying how it comes across.  I can be my most pathetic self, my most wounded and vulnerable.  Yet, still know her opinion of me won’t change.  You know you have a real friend when you're crying, and you look over and she’s crying with you.  

There is nothing like a girlfriend, a real honest to goodness soul sister.  I remember my Nana once said, “Don’t try to make your husband your girl friend.” Okay, that might sound weird.  You get the point.  Only women can relate to women in that special way.  That, I know how you feel way.  I don’t know where I would be without my friends!  I shutter to think!  

There is nothing like a good girlfriend to get you into the most heinous and hilarious situations!  I’ve been saved by gypsies in the Ukraine, mooned in Paris, pretended to be Catholic, done couples massages, eaten pastries through Europe, been stalked in an airport, almost been arrested, tried hundreds of diets, talked each other off the edge, been phone coached how to self wax and that’s just a few.

So, if you don’t have a good girl friend…get one and quick!  Because life is sooooo much better with them!

Rosemary Soda! I got the recipe!

The Feast Restaurant In NYC

 

Last visit to New York a record label took us out to eat at this restaurant.  It was delicious!  It is a homestyle quaint little place.

www.eatfeastnyc.com

If you go, order The Feast.  They serve it family style and you get a taste of all their best dishes!  It's American food with a modern interpretation to the traditional dinner party.

I fell in love with their homemade Rosemary Soda! And can you even believe I managed to get the wonderful server, to give me the recipe?  It is easy and amazing!  

So here goes,  You put equal parts of water and sugar in a pan with several sprigs of fresh rosemary.  Simmer that for awhile until it turns to syrup. (Let it cool) Then put equal parts syrup and lemon juice in your glass. Then add seltzer water, ice and a sprig of fresh rosemary! He said to experiment with how much syrup and lemon juice to your liking. So easy and so, so good!  Ok, I'm going to the store to get the rosemary!

(Video) Momager To The Aces

I am the Momager to The Aces an all girl band!  Subscribe to my YouTube channel to keep up with the fun we are having! Click on my video below!

I explore while they work!

Menopausal Psychosis

I had always heard that Menopause was gonna be rough.  However, I never thought too much about it.  I remember a few people mentioning something about hot flashes and a dry vaginal area and not having to worry about birth control anymore. (Praise the Lord!)

Little did I know the terror that awaited me! Nobody told me all the gory details of the symptoms, changes, and mental illness that would ensue. I have coined the term, as far as I can tell, “Menopausal Psychosis.” This is a real condition!  No doctor ever let on, or at least my male doctor didn't feel it necessary to warn me.  I feel this is a horrific infraction. I could have been saved from wondering what the hell was going on with me! A little heads up would have been helpful. 

Nobody warned me that as my body started into “the change,” I basically had the sex drive of a 16 year old boy. No well mannered lady talks about this, so here I go.  It was as if my reproductive organs sensed their impending doom and ramped up into overdrive in anticipation.  My husband, who you would think would be thrilled, literally hid from me for the better part of 2 years.  He would walk past me in the hall and say…”I can’t do it again today!”  I would say “what?! I didn’t say anything!” “Its that look,” he would mutter under his breath.  Too much of a good thing can be exhausting apparently.  In his defense he was very accommodating but, I was out of control.  I thought to myself many times, “what is going on with me?” The beast was unleashed.  

Then as those symptoms faded, new much less enjoyable ones began.  I did get those hot flashes, but not as badly as some.  Yes, you feel like your in a sauna and it creeps up all of the sudden.  Sometimes followed by the feeling that you're going to faint and that’s always a thrill.  Oh and I had the heart palpitations to accompany the heat! One night my husband and I were in bed talking and the flash hit, and hit hard! I jumped out of bed (which never happens at the speed at which I managed it this particular night) and in 2.2 seconds I was standing there in my birthday suit.  Carlos looked shocked and intrigued all at the same time.  I saw where this was going, so I informed him that we were now in a different stage of the change and the beast was gone. 

But the worst symptoms are anxiety and depression.  Where do you ever get educated on that?  I never knew that that would be part of the experience. I just thought my life was over and I was literally going crazy.  Then, as the storm started to get better I saw an article about how anxiety and depression was the number one symptom of menopause. And I had it in abundance.  When I read this new tidbit I threw the iPad (gently) and yelled, “Why didn’t anybody tell me this???!!!!” I proceeded to go on a rant that was one for the books.  “So I’m not crazy?????” The few that heard me say this disagreed quietly.  If I would have known this, life would have at least made sense if not been easier.

There were many days that I could not drive to the grocery store.  I didn’t want to leave the house.  All I wanted to do was watch Netflix and eat, and I did. I would get in a mood that was so unbearable that my children would send me to my room! They would sweetly say, “Ok Mom, why don’t you go up to your room and rest for awhile.” I had no patience for anyone. The dirty looks I gave people on the daily were frightening.  I swore like a sailor when driving and feared no one and nothing….in a bad way. Once I told one of my kid’s friends that I hated him when I first met him.  He choked on the snack he had just grabbed from my pantry and my girl’s jaws dropped simultaneously. I was an embarrassment continually, that’s what I was told anyway.

I gained weight at a startling rate.  Becoming heavier than I’d ever been. The chub that grew in my stomach area which I affectionately call “the apron” is the bane of my existence.  I remember the first time I became aware of it.  I bent over to get something and thought I had left a small pillow in my lap. I would catch a glimpse of myself in a window or mirror and wonder who the fatty was. How did I get these “Lunch Lady” arms? Suddenly wearing a short sleeve shirt was horrifying.  Even my calves got fat! I know this for sure because I asked the young man in the shoe store and he confirmed it. I couldn’t believe that even my calves were affected!  Oh and don’t get me started on the boob area! These puppies take serious weaponry to keep them contained! Even with the best bra money can buy, it’s still questionable whether they are actually contained or not.

I was a mess. Feeling more insecure and hopeless than I’d ever experienced.  I started to dream of taking off for a year after I saw Eat Pray Love.  My husband wishes I’d never seen that movie. Whenever my husband would get on my nerves (which was all the time) I would threaten to “Eat Pray Love.”  It took him awhile before he figured out what I was talking about and would just laugh at me. The closest I’ve come, is driving down to the gas station in a huff, and drinking a Pepsi alone in my car. I seriously thought about how I would do it….. sometimes I still do.  I vow that I will go on a pilgrimage sometime in the future! The problem is didn’t she have to take a vow of silence for like a week? That may prove difficult!

Yes, my poor uninformed friends.  Menopause is a bitch!  (Excuse my language.)  I wish I would have consulted a FEMALE doctor and prepared myself.  I know there are things that can help, but how would I know, I white knuckled it.  I am throwing out that tidbit for all you poor dears that are approaching it or in the thick of it.  Get help! If not for you, for the sake of your family and friends!

The Rest Is Still Unwritten...

New start up to my blog! Its gonna be a blast!  I will be including videos and pictures.  Why you ask? Well this year is the year I get my life back! 

I won’t get into details about the demise of all I thought my life would be. I’ve always been a happy person.  I think of myself as a positive woman, even a fun gal. But the twists and turns my life has taken in the recent past have sent me spinning.  It feels like someone threw me into a deep pool of water and that I’ve been stuck there waiting for someone to grab my hand and pull me up so that I can breath. Seriously, I could never have predicted the things I have gone through these past few years.  I don’t think I could have thought it up in my most wild imagination.  But, this is my life, my family, my future.  So I better figure it out and make the best of it.  The amazing thing is, I am feeling the pull of the universe to open my eyes wider and see the great experiences all this is giving me. To open my heart bigger and to be more generous and kind and accepting. To not see hard things as a punishment, but an opportunity.

So what I want to write about is what I’m doing to get my life back.  Well, not the life I had, but a better life. I am about to create the life I love.  Weird thing is that I’m not exactly sure what that is yet.  There in lies the adventure. Really this blog is for me.  If you read it I hope maybe something inspires you.

A friend once told me that most great accomplishments in life were done by people that didn’t feel well. I’ve never forgotten that.  I guess I have always been waiting for the right time or to feel better physically or mentally or spiritually or when I have more time.  Always waiting for the perfect time to pursue a dream. As I get older and realize that my time is becoming more limited.  I don’t have the 50 years ahead of me that I use to.  I now have 52 behind and who knows how much more. So its time to start pursuing the dreams that have been with me for awhile.

I have wanted to be a writer for along time now. I’ve held that desire in my heart with the promise that I’ll get to it someday. There is a quote from the book Big Magic that I love. “If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you.  If you don’t bring forth what is within you, what you don’t bring forth will destroy you.” Think about that.  So I will attempt to bring forth what is within me. The rest is still unwritten….