Monday, June 29, 2015

When I loved summer...

I've lived in Arizona long enough that I had forgotten I actually used to LOVE summer! The stifling heat night and day, day after day has kind of jaded my feelings about summertime. So when I came across this idea - to write a list of favorite memories from my childhood summers - I was surprised at how many sweet summer memories came up for me. {The prompt was from a newsletter I subscribe to by Chookooloonks.}

Here, in no particular order, are 10 of my favorite summertime childhood memories.
☀ ☀ ☀
My nephews (Cris & Tyler) and niece (Britny) ~ photo by my brother Ron

No school. It's not that I disliked school, I just loved summer a whole lot more. So the first thing on my list of favorite things about summer when I was a kid? It has to be the no school part!

Being barefoot. We were country kids and we were barefoot all summer long! I remember walking on the hot blacktop road to Grandma's house - feet tough enough that the hot surface felt warm but didn't really make me dance. The way it felt to step onto the cool, lush green grass, and ending each day with super dirty feet that needed a good scrubbing in the tub before bed time.

Water play. With sprinklers, garden hose, wading pools, water balloons and dangling our feet into the muddy water of nearby irrigation ditches.

Crawdad fishing. Our great-uncle Homer would tie a piece of meat on a string for us and we'd pull dozens of crawdads out of the muddy irrigation ditch. {I wrote a story about our crawdad fishing days and you can read that here.}

The ice cream truck. Running to the sidewalk with a fist full of change, waiting for the ice cream truck to stop for us. My favorite treat was always the creamsicle pop-ups. Yum...haven't had one of those in forever...

Our cousins from Chicago came to visit. For a few summers in a row, our three cousins from Chicago came to spend several weeks in California. Our grandmas were sisters and lived on the same country road, and we spent hours building forts, crawdad fishing, riding our bikes, and just having fun. When the day would come for them to go back to Chicago, my siblings and I would sob like it was the end of the world. Ahhh. Those were such fun times!

Iced tea. My mom made the best, fresh brewed iced tea, and she always had a pitcher made. I remember for a while she made ice by freezing water in an empty paper milk carton. Once frozen, she'd break it up with an ice pick - stabbing several times right through the paper carton. She'd pour the crushed ice into a glass and then cover it with fresh brewed tea. Ah - such a refreshing way to cool off! {My sis and I still make tea just like our mama, though we don't do that ice part.}

Bike riding. We rode our bikes all over the place back then. We lived in a small town and friends were always a bike ride away. There was such a feeling of freedom and independence, riding off on my bike to go to a friend's house. As I write these words, I'm struck by the way I miss that simple pleasure.

Being hot. It seems weird to remember a time when I actually enjoyed the heat. Our home had a small evaporative cooler in one window and that was enough "back then." We slept with our windows open and didn't really complain about being too hot. Heat meant that it was SUMMER and we loved that so much!

Shopping for school supplies. As much as I loved summer and the whole no-school-gig, I always loved shopping for new school clothes and supplies. The anticipation of new teachers, seeing friends, a fresh notebook and a hint of fall in the air? Awesome! And although this memory signified the end of summer, it's still one of my favorites.
☀ ☀ ☀
What would your list of top ten summer memories include?

Friday, June 26, 2015

Just a Quote for Friday



“Consider letting go of the barriers between yourself and others, let go of the definition our culture has inflicted upon us and allow the best part of ourselves to connect with the wondrous parts of others. Allow yourself to connect in a deeper and more profound way.”
― David W. Earle

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

A salad recipe for summer dinners

There's a croissant shop near the chiropractor's office where I teach yoga. Ohmygosh they have the best croissants! They also have a small lunch menu and one of their salads has been a favorite of mine for a long time.

I love the salad so much that I wanted to make my own version at home but I assumed that it wasn't something that Doug would appreciate. He's a "ranch dressing" salad guy and likes a good old fashioned side-salad if he has a salad at all.



Well. TA-DA!!! I made it and he loved it and I've made it a few times since then. :o) Now it's one of our favorites. It's super easy to throw together, and a salad I plan to make often during the upcoming hot summer months.

Spinach/Chicken/Cranberry Salad

Use amounts according to your preference:
spinach leaves
diced cooked chicken breast
dried cranberries
chopped walnuts
crumbled feta cheese
balsamic vinegar dressing

Combine, toss and enjoy.

Monday, June 22, 2015

It's officially summer - weekend recap

Good morning, blog friends.
"Welcome to another exciting edition of weekend happenings on PaperTurtle," she wrote sarcastically. "Doug was out of town, it was hot outside, I taught yoga and I drew mandalas."
 
{first cup of coffee consumed...}
 
Ok, it wasn't that mundane. You know, these weekend recap posts I do never fail to remind me how fortunate I am. There was beautiful sunlight, yoga practiced, pedicures with my girl C, and dinner/movie with a friend on Saturday. And on Sunday I drew mandalas. Come to think of it, I had a really great weekend! :o)


Doug and I came across some photos of our backyard when we first bought this house and wow what a difference! So much has changed back there in four years! I want to do a before/after post on this space...soon.
 

Our local grocery store had a great selection of roses on sale last week ($6.99/dozen) so I picked up this beautiful bouquet. They were tight little rose buds on Friday, and by yesterday each of them had opened to beautiful full roses. I think I'll pull at least one of these out of this bouquet to have on my desk at work for the next few days.
 
Item #1 - a bouquet of flowers
Rinda's Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt

I spent a considerable amount of time with my mandala sketchbook this weekend, and my trusty sidekick, Whiskers Jay, was right by my side. He was a loveable pest every time I sat down to draw. I've recently been loving watercolor pencils, and the cat loves it too...

Yes, he's drinking my watercolor paintbrush water.

I'm in the process of scheduling my next yoga/mandala workshop which means my mind is pre-occupied with plans for a class theme. Now that I have that first workshop under my belt, I'm even more excited about the next one!

I'm also in the process of creating some simple mandala kits and plan to offer one up in a little blog giveaway soon. Maybe next week if I get my act together.


I'm in need of a little attitude adjustment, for sure. I know my morning yoga will help (maybe I should start practicing yoga before I blog in the morning...) but I also think I need a little retail therapy. Some new flip-flops and a sundress maybe... Yeah...I just decided...I'm going shopping on my lunch hour today...
 
Time to hit it. Have a great week, everyone!

Friday, June 19, 2015

Me, June 2015




Feeling pulled in several directions right now, but so grateful for this life I live.

Loving my life as a yoga teacher. It gives my life meaning and purpose, truly.

Reading yoga anatomy books as part of my continued teacher training.

Drinking coffee by morning, water by day, red wine by night.

Anticipating the next few months of Arizona heat. Ick. We know it's coming every year and somehow we always think it's not going to be so bad. It's bad. Sooooo hot...

Listening to yoga music. Man, I need to crack down and organize some playlists for my yoga classes. I’m tired of the same songs over and over and over…

Watching nothing much right now. All my favorite shows are on break until the new seasons begin. (Love “Survivor,” “Amazing Race,” “Dancing with the Stars.” “Married at First Sight,” “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”)

Planning a move of households. Although we haven’t found a place to move yet so this feels very much on hold. I have started organizing my craft supplies but it’s hard to get too fired up about things until there’s a definite date on our calendar for a move.

Looking forward to finding a new house.

Creating mandalas, mandalas, mandalas!!! And I have some ideas for creating a mixed media mandala canvas that really needs to get out of my head and out through my hands. But first I…

Need to finish my friendship quilt!

Wishing for more free time to do the things I love.

Main goal spread the word about the benefits of yoga by continuing to do what I do.
PS: I was surfing the other day and came across this list, copied and pasted it but closed my browser before I captured a link to the original source. If this is your list of prompts please let me know and I will give proper credit. In the meantime, thanks for the fun list!

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

How do I make my sunflowers LOOK like that?!

My six-year old nephew, Stone, is poised to be an amazing gardener someday. Last spring I sent some sunflower seeds to him with instructions on how to grow them. He was so excited when the seeds sprouted!

Stone planted a new crop this year and once again has loved watching them sprout and grow - taller than he is! You can just imagine how it warmed my heart when he was so excited about his first sunflower bud - just on the brink of blooming - that he had his mom (my sis) post an Instagram and tag me to take a look. "Look, Aunt Deb!!!" he said. :o)

My sister recently showed one of my sunflower Instagram photos to Stone and his immediate response was, "HOW does she do that?? Does she grow them in wood chips??? That must be it!"

I love that he is already trying to figure out how to grow the best sunflower; that his mind is always open to learning and discovering how things work. I love that he is having so much fun growing sunflowers and that he is striving to improve his already successful technique.

Stone couldn't wait to show me his sunflowers when we visited at the beginning of this month. Ah! Made this aunty so proud!!!

And here's part two of this story. After Stone showed me his flowers and I took the obligatory photo, I flipped through my photo feed to show him some recent photos I had taken. A sunflower photo caught his eye and Stone said, "See, Aunt Deb?! How do you make your flowers LOOK like that?!" and I realized that what he's seeing as the difference between my flowers and his is the photography factor. I have a feeling that Stone's next lessons will be photography related.

How do I grow sunflowers? Plant a seed in full sun and make sure to water it regularly.
How do I photograph sunflowers?
With my iPhone and making sure the sun is behind them at a pleasing angle.
A little skill and lots of luck.
Oh, and a little bit of love.
I do love my sunflowers, you know.

Monday, June 15, 2015

Where did my weekend go?!?!

Hey there friends.
Welcome to my slightly grumpy Monday morning weekend recap.
~sigh~
 
Grumpy does not necessarily mean unhappy. It's just that this past weekend seemed to go by so quickly that I am really wishing for just one more day before it's time to focus my attention on my weekday job.

Our mild temperatures during May and even the first week of June have all of us in Arizona grumbling about the heat now that summer seems to have officially arrived. We were spoiled! Even my sunflowers are beginning to fade...


Anyway! You didn't come here to hear me complain, so I'll tell you something good. Let's see...
 

I taught yoga on Saturday morning and had a good class turnout. After class my friend Barbara and I had breakfast at the crepe bar next door. So cute - a little girl came up to our table and asked what my name was. I told her and then she pointed to Barbara and asked me, "What's your sister's name?" So perceptive of her to pick up on the fact that Barbara and I are kindred spirits.

We could have sat at the Crepe Bar for a long time on Saturday - just talking and discussing art supplies for mandala drawing. Both of us agreed that we'd rather not go home and clean our respective houses but duty called so off we went.

I proceeded to spend Saturday afternoon with gold and black Sharpie markers, my mandala journal, an affectionate cat, and I even squeezed in a little nap. Delicious Saturday from start to finish!


By the way, I have been so inspired by a new blog I've recently found. I discovered the beauty of Louise Gale's mandalas and have been obsessed with gold and black lines.


Having played away my Saturday, I spent yesterday running around this house like a crazy woman. We'd been out of town the weekend before, so there was lots to catch up with in terms of dusty furniture, pet hair floors and laundry. I focused on having a happy outlook while cleaning - feeling grateful for the home I have that needed cleaning. When Doug came home from his weekend of camping I greeted him with, "You can't come in that door! The floor's wet!!!" eh-hm. "Welcome home, Honey."



I also managed to make a small dent in purging/consolidating/organizing my craft supplies. So, yeah, a really great weekend now that I read back over this blog post. Am I still grumpy? I little bit. But it's nothing that a little yoga won't cure so I'm off to receive my morning practice.

Grumpy Monday morning or not, I have a feeling this is going to be one amazing week!
Catch you on the flipside, my friends.
xo

Friday, June 12, 2015

Just a Quote for Friday


"In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness."

~ Mohandas K. Gandhi

Thursday, June 11, 2015

A Vacation Video

Keeping with our Disney vacation theme this week,
I'm sharing a video that Carrie made documenting our road trip last week.


Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt - Round 1

For the fifth summer in a row, I am participating in Rinda' s Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt. In previous years I have found that a road trip is the perfect opportunity to check off a few items on the list of 21 things to find and photograph.

Our road trip to California provided said opportunities, and today I have six photos to share with you.
:o)
 

#6 - a metal bridge


#9 - a tent
Seen in Disneyland while waiting in line for Autopia. I am hoping to photograph a real tent at some point this summer, but at least I have this photo as a backup if a camping trip does not materialize in the next three months.




#12 - a public restroom, bathroom, or toilet
I've been known to photograph wallpaper in a public restroom because I loved the pattern and was inspired to remember the design for future doodling. So when I saw this tile floor in a restroom in Disneyland I thought about photographing it for future reference for a tiled bathroom floor. And OOH! It's one of the items on Rinda's list so I snapped a photo.


#13 - a merry-go-round or carousel
Seen in California Adventure.


#17 - at least two people wearing matching outfits or uniforms
When we entered Disneyland, I was surprised to see people standing in lines just to get a photograph with a Disney character. The line for Mickey was super long, as were the lines for Cinderella and Goofy. When I saw these two headed toward me I was so excited to see them available for a photo. "Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum! I love you guys!" I said. "Can I get a picture with you two?" They giggled and said, "Sure" as I continued, "And there's not even a line!"

Carrie snapped the photo and as we walked away she admonished, "Mother. You do know those aren't actual Disney characters, right?" eh-hm. Turns out they were two other park guests who came dressed in costume for the day. ~sigh~ and oops. Anyway, even though I didn't snap the photo myself, it was surely my idea (for better or worse) so I'm using this one for #17.

#19 - a ticket booth
Entering the park at Disneyland. Best day ever.
 
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Six photos down, 15 to go...
You can read more about Rinda's scavenger hunt by clicking here.

Monday, June 8, 2015

Disney Weekend Recap

Good morning, my friends.
We had SO much fun this weekend! This morning finds me with tired feet from walking so much, sore smile muscles from smiling so much, and a happy heart from playing and laughing and loving so much.


It had been over 20 years since Doug or I had been to Disneyland. Carrie has been asking begging us to take her to Disneyland since we've been a family (12 years now) and this year she convinced us to take a vacation there for her birthday. She's such a smart girl, that one.


We drove to northern California on Friday and spent a few hours in California Adventure, and then Saturday morning we hit Disneyland. The weather was absolutely perfect, and for the most part the crowds weren't all that bad (until later in the day/evening).


I'd forgotten how much I love Disneyland. Or maybe I love it even more now that I've been there with three adults(-ish) and no toddler to accommodate. We had the best time!


This is Disneyland's 60th year anniversary! The park was decked out in sparkly diamond decorations, and the electrical light parade is "bigger and better than ever" except that I didn't see that part. Too many people by that time of the day, but I did catch a glimpse of a few floats over the top of the crowd of people. Carrie and her beau stayed late enough to catch the second showing and she said it was fantastic!

So yeah, Carrie has a boyfriend , and when we invited him to join us at the last minute (Friday night) he moved mountains to make it happen. He drove from Arizona that morning and met Carrie at Disneyland's gate and the four of us had the best time. By the end of the day we all agreed that it was the most fun any of us have ever had in Disneyland. :o)
 
We rode a whole bunch of rides, including the Buzz Lightyear ride where you shoot little laser guns at targets. Carrie and Andrew beat our combined score by 100 points...because everything is a competition, you know. ;o)


All day long I kept seeing little kids with these really cool battery operated bubble guns. I wanted one! So on our way out of the park we braved another long line and purchased one as a souvenir. It lights up and shoots out lots of bubbles and came at a time when I was so tired I couldn't take one more step. Totally perked me up for the walk back to our hotel. :o)!!!


~sigh~ Awesome, awesome, AWESOME weekend. I really should have prepared this blog post last night, but I fell asleep on the couch at 7:30 p.m. At some point I made it to bed and woke up at 2:00 a.m. fully clothed, on top of the bedspread, with my contacts still in. Sheesh. I was tired! Deliciously tired.

Time to switch back to work mode and maybe eat something healthy today. Maybe.
Have a great week, my friends.

Friday, June 5, 2015

Just a Quote for Carrie's Birthday

Carrie and me ~ Disneyland ~ 1991 ~ ♥

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

~ Walt Disney






Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Demystifying Yoga

When my dentist asked me last week, "So what's new and exciting since we've seen you last?" I proudly said the first thing that came to mind: "Well, I'm a certified yoga teacher now."

"Oh," was his immediate response, "So you can put your foot behind your head?"

"Uh..." I laughed nervously, "not exactly..." and in my mind I was like, "Dude. No?!?!"




My gosh, I just like to think that yoga is more mainstream now, that the benefits of the practice are at the forefront and that the majority of the public understands those things. I feel a little sad when I hear comments like the one from my dentist - assuming that yoga is just about striking outlandish poses that can hardly be imagined by most of us. Because to the layman, what in the world could be enticing about putting your foot behind your head? At least it's not for me.

I had this post written and scheduled to be published when the universe provided me with a little reality check yesterday. I was offered another reminder from a sweet friend - a reminder that I've practiced yoga long enough that I take for granted what it's like to be a beginner. There are so many different aspects to yoga, and I realize that plenty of people still do have a misconception about what yoga is.

One of my goals as a new yoga teacher is to demystify yoga. I love the philosophical side of yoga, but I understand and respect that it’s not for everyone. I want to educate anyone who will listen about the basic benefits of the practice; how yoga is so very simple and wonderful and accessible to everyone - not just for those select few people on the planet who can put their foot behind their head.


Most of you know that I've practiced yoga for 20 years. It's difficult to explain within the confines of a blog post how much yoga has changed who I am; how it's settled me and changed the way I view myself and the world around me.

One of the things I have really enjoyed about my yoga teacher training has been learning more about the human body in terms of anatomy and the function of our glandular system. My teachers incorporate a lot of scientific studies in our training and I love that! I love learning how science is catching up with yoga - how scientists are proving what ancient yogis knew instinctively thousands of years ago.

So I started thinking... If I had to pick one thing about yoga that's been the most beneficial to me what would it be? The answer was easy! It's the breath work (pranayama).
 
Years of stress and worry and lack of self-esteem created a habit of shallow breathing for me. I discovered early on in my practice that part of the reason I felt so good after a yoga class was that I had spent the past hour breathing deeply. It wasn't until recently, through my teacher training studies, that I learned the benefits of deep breathing by way of a scientific explanation.

Taking a slow and deep breath sends a signal to your brain that all is well. A slow deep breath sends a message to your brain. "Chill out, Brain. There's no danger here, and there is no need to tell my body to produce stress hormones to keep me in a fight and flight mode. And tell your friends, the other parts of my body responsible for protecting me against scary things, that all is well in my world." Exhale, slow and steady. Brain says, "Oh. Ok then. I'll just produce the other hormones that make you feel good instead." Controlling the way we breathe literally changes our physiology!

Yoga helped me to remember my breath; to remember the correct way to breathe. I didn't understand how it happened until recently, but breathing helped me to calm my nervous system, alleviate anxiety, depression and insomnia. Deep breathing = happy, healthy me.



When we practice yoga, we open ourselves to a method of healing that is centuries old. My hope is that we'll meet on our yoga mats and take what we need for the good of our bodies and our minds. If our hearts and souls follow suit, well that's just icing on the cake!

Put my foot behind my head?
Psh. No thanks.

PS: My mandala was drawn with a gold Sharpie marker, filled in with watercolor paint, and a little Stickles for some sparkle.

Monday, June 1, 2015

Wrapping up May in sunflower style

Hey there, blog friends!
Ahhh...the last weekend in May was beautiful around here. Mother Nature treated us right the whole month of May with unseasonably cool temps for Arizona. And now comes June and we're bracing ourselves for summer. Doug even started working summer hours this morning - up at 4:00 a.m. and out the door before 5:00.




I can sum up my weekend with two words: yoga and sunflowers. Oh yeah, and a side of baking. I attended my monthly yoga teacher training so that occupied a whole bunch of time, and when I did land at home I was outside snapping a few photos of our sunflowers in bloom. I managed to fit in some baking too - chocolate chip banana muffins for an upcoming road trip, and red velvet cupcakes to take to work today. :o)
 

Saturday morning I taught my regular yoga class and then I lead my first private yoga session with a long-time friend of mine. I loved leading a private practice so much! My friend had been wanting to try yoga for a long time but was unsure of herself in a classroom setting - not sure what to expect or if she'd be able to follow along. I always feel so honored to introduce someone to yoga! I think my biggest challenge is dishing out yoga information in small bites - knowing what a student needs in that moment and what they are ready to grasp. There's so much information - SO much that I want to share - but I don't want to overwhelm with too much at a time.
 
Speaking of lots of information, my teacher training weekend was filled with all sorts of fantastic stuff to mull over and digest in the upcoming weeks. In a nutshell, we learned about planting the seed of affirmation when a student is in correct alignment on the premise that when the heart is open the mind is ripe for receiving. I loved that my teacher used the term "plant the seed" during this weekend's workshop. As a yoga teacher I plan to use this method with my students. And as a student, I plan to use this method myself whenever I find myself in a backbend/heart open pose. Good stuff!!!


I came home from the workshop on Saturday evening to catch some yummy sunlight in our backyard, capped off with a beautiful Arizona sunset. ~sigh~ If you follow me on Instagram you are probably in one of two categories: 1) loving all of my sunflowers posts or 2) slightly bored with them. #sorrynotsorry


And now it's June: Carrie's birth month and a time for celebration! Time to begin teaching a new yoga class for my local parks and recreation on Wednesday evenings. Time for Rinda's annual Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt! Yes - it's back for the fifth year in a row! Time for a road trip to California for my nephew's high school graduation, then a trek to Disneyland for Carrie's birthday.
 
Time to hit my yoga mat and get this party started.
Happy first week in June, my friends!
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