MINDFUL MOMENTS

Lately, everything seems to be quite British for me. Last night I dreamed I was living in England and I've been enjoying an on-line ballet class series taught by British ballet teacher Susan. This afternoon I bought some British made biscuits & tea and created my own afternoon tea. I'm currently writing a story that takes place on the Isle of Mann, and I just finished watching a brilliant British film.  Perhaps it's time for a visit to ENGLAND and the UNITED KINGDOM but with travel restrictions upon most of the world, traveling seems more and more like the distant past. In the meantime I'm having plenty of English moments at home and wishing good cheer and good health to everyone in beautiful ENGLAND. "There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hou  dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea." Henry James Afternoon Tea is a meal composed of delicately cut sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, and sweet pastries and cakes. Afternoon ...

PIZZA RECIPE Dough: 1 package active dry yeast 1 teaspoon white sugar 1 cup warm water (110F or 45C) 2 1/2 cups bread flour 2 Tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon salt Preheat oven to 450 F. In a medium bowl dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in flour, salt, and oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest 5 minutes. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Transfer crust to a lightlygreased pizza pan. Allow crust to bake 5 minutes. Than remove the pizza crust from oven, spread the crust with your favorite sauce and desired toppings. Bake pizza for ten to fifteen minutes. Let baked pizza cool for 5 minutes before serving. ___________________________________________________________ This afternoon, I took an alternative bus route home which gave me a 15 minute stopover at the bus station. I couldn't venture far because if I missed this bus, I'd have over an hour wait for another bus.Hungry and wanting something qu...

YOGA has taught me to be grounded, and in todays high paced and stressful world, a few minutes of being grounded in one place can be beneficial. Rather than multi -tasking and overwhelming myself today, I decided to just do a few gentle things on my day off. This afternoon I spent time with my friend at a state park. We walked on a frozen lake, took lots of fun pictures, and enjoyed the serenity of NATURE. Afterwards I went to my Mother's condo to watch some episodes of a comedy show called "THAT GIRL" and the two of us enjoyed a cup of tea while enjoying this entertaining show. Sometimes the best things in life are the most simplest where we can just be still, and enjoy precious moments!                                                 Taking in Nature on a frozen lake!                            ...

Since early December I've been filling my basket with chocolates that I've been given as a gift, or chocolates I've bought during the Christmas season. I can never seem to get enough chocolate. Everyday I tell myself I'll resist eating a piece of chocolate but it's not an easy thing to do, especially when I have stressful moments like I did yesterday. The first thing I did when I came home was grab my basket of chocolates and pick a few to unwrap and eat. Such comfort food but tomorrow I have to visit the dentist, and my dentist is not a big advocate of eating sugary treats. So maybe, just maybe, I'll challenge myself to go without chocolate for a week or two. Why does CHOCOLATE make us happy?😀 Certain components in chocolate improve the mood and alter brain patterns. Tryptophan, which is an amino acid found in chocolate helps the brain make serotonin, a neurotransmitter that makes us feel happy. Phenylethylalanine is also found in chocolate and this component ...