It's Winter

Here goes, stepping out on the skinny branches. OK, I've been tweeting my brains out for around a year. I've let go of my WayHealthy newsletter. I guess I'm looking at what gives me passion.

Taking pictures and sharing them. Ohlala. It's a blast to see something stirring outside because my camera is by my side, ready to go. Just in case a turkey comes running by or the sun rays are coming through the fog. I grab my camera and click, click, click. About a year ago, when I began Tweeting, I decided to share with my tweeps, my world through my pictures via Twitpic.

Years ago, I used to post pictures to my photo blog I called 0013 Foto Phun. Some of those pictures go back almost 5 years.

I've started two stores, the Miracles Store offering some of my photos on mugs, T-shirts, and other cool items. However, for people who want my photos printed out beautifully on archival paper or canvas--matted or framed you can check out my galleries at FineArtAmerica.

Country Bees More Vibrant than Urban Bees

Today when I was doing my smiling meditation in my garden. I heard a buzzing sound from 2 different plum trees. I tried taking pix of bees, but they moved pretty quickly. Then I had the brilliant idea of videoing the bees. I stood under the volunteer plum tree with the fragrant plum blossoms. The bees were buzzing all around my head.

I had heard that there was a problem with bees. Maybe they have come to my place? There doesn't seem to be a shortage in "my neighborhood".

Let me know what you think. Here is a link to the video.

Loving Where I Live

I don’t think of blogging on this blog very often. However, while walking down to the hydro from our house, I remembered how much I love walking off the beaten trail during winter.

When I got far enough away from our house that I couldn’t see it, off in the distance I saw a buck. I turned on my camera, and the deer didn’t hear it. I guess that was because the wind was blowing towards me and away from him. The photo in the middle is of that buck. I hope you can click on him and enlarge him. I didn't think to video his graceful dance away until it was too late.

Walking down the steep hill under the trees, I could hear the sound of the water rushing down the hill in the seasonal creek. I tried uploading a short video in the creek with the sound of the water rushing by, but I couldn’t get it to upload.

So, I took these photos today. I am blessed, and yes, I am living my passion.

What can we do about the financial crisis?

What positive actions can we take right now during the ongoing world financial crisis?

The Law of Attraction says that what we focus on is what we attract into our lives. So, instead of getting caught up in the doom and gloom headlines, news shows, and downwardly spiraling negative conversations, take a deep breath and let go of any fear or tension. Go within to the place that is always calm, yet powerful beyond measure. Know the Truth of Who You Are. Remember that you are One with All-That-Is. No matter what is happening outside of you, in this moment you are Whole and Complete. This moment is all there is. Remember to be grateful for this precious moment, this breath, and the eternal joy that is only available right here and now. Knowing that this so, I release these words into the abundant universe.

And so it is.

Apology and I am still living my passion!!!

Hello,

I haven't posted anything on this blog in a couple of years. I want to apologize for not seeing the comments that people made in the past. I hadn't checked the box that emails comments to me;0(

My energy has been going into my healing work and to my most current blog: WayHealthy. You might want to check it out. You might want to check out my website

For the last year, my main focus has been with helping people with physical pain, and believe it or not, I have been incredibly successful helping people over the phone! Here is a link to some of my success stories. Even though I continue to help some people with physical pain, I have been shifting my focus to weight loss. I have lost 25 pounds--effortlessly, and I am passionate about helping women (especially). I taught a workshop in the town of Mendocino in July, and every time I go over to the coast I see women that are benefiting from that class, and that really warms my heart. I will be teaching the same workshop in Ukiah (100 miles north of the Golden Gate bridge) in October.

I guess that is it for now.

Oh yeah, do what gives you joy!!!

Gratefully yours,
JoAnn

Success Using EFT with High School Students

I am retiring from my career as a high school art teacher next week, and I will be focusing more of my time and energy on being an EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) practitioner.

Here are a few examples of working with some of my students in the last couple of weeks.

“Joe” asked me to help him with his batting. His average was 110, and it was the end of the season.

His SUDS was 7/10 for being nervous. During the first round we used statements such as:
Even though I am inconsistent with my swing, I am an OK kid. ET I can’t time the ball…

(At school I use, “I am an OK kid,” and have youth tap their karate chop instead of rubbing their sore spot. I always tap along on myself, and I tap the crown of the head saying, “releasing nervousness,” or whatever is being addressed. As they tap on each of the meridians saying the reminder phrase, I encourage them to inhale and exhale.)

“Joe’s” SUDS dropped to 5/10 after one round.
For the second round we added:
ET I am a lousy hitter, I am an OK kid.
ET I am afraid of missing the ball, I am still a good hitter (made him laugh).
ET I feel like I messed up…

His SUDS dropped to 2-3/10.
I had him tap his crown saying “remaining nervousness,” and then tap his meridians while breathing and alternating:
• I’m afraid of missing the ball.
• I’m a good hitter.
• I remember the fundamentals of hitting.
• I have been a lousy hitter.
• I’m a good hitter.
• I swing if it is in the strike zone.

His SUDS then went down to a zero.

His second-to-last-game and final game “Joe” hit the ball well even though he did not reach base.

We also worked on his pitching, but I didn’t take any notes. He had an improvement on his pitching, too. I talked to his coach last night, and he had seen an improvement on both “Joe’s” hitting and pitching. The coach sees the value in eft and working with young athletes.


Another day I noticed a student with a pained look on her face. She said she had an abscessed tooth, and she had forgotten her medication and couldn’t concentrate enough to work on her assignment. Her pain level was 8/10.

We used these statements for the first round:
ET I have an abscessed tooth, I am an OK kid.
ET I forgot my medication …
ET there is throbbing pain up the right side of my face…
ET they might have to pull the tooth out…

Her pain level dropped to 6/10 after the first found.
The second round it dropped to 4/10.
We used the above statements and “ET it still hurts….”
I noticed that she made a growling noise. So, I had her continue with the above statements and had her “GURRRR” louder—which made her giggle.
ET thought this throbbing pain is still here GURRRRR.

It dropped to a 1/10. One more round brought it to no pain!!!

I listen for little noises that aren’t really words and encourage clients to do it louder.


A few minutes later in the same class, Alex asked if I could help him with his batting average which was .280. Class was almost over, and I told him that we had time to do only one round. He was quickly able to tell me the stories that could be making it hard for him to succeed. We used:

ET I might strike out, I’m an OK kid.
ET I might be too cocky…
ET I have had an off-balanced swing…
ET I might not hit the top…
ET I’m afraid of swinging and missing…
ET I’ve been in a slump…

He tapped and alternated reminder phrases (and breathed)
• Striking out
• Hit a home run
• Too cocky
• Hit a home run
• Off-balanced swing
• Good hitter
• Swinging and missing
• Home run

He only had one game left in the season—the last one, and he hit 3 out of 5 or .600! He made that incredible improvement with just one round of eft (while students were putting their things away and getting ready to leave class).

If I had more space I would share additional stories of eft wonders in my classroom, including alleviating headaches, stomach aches, migraines, and the stress of growing up.

Suck My Toes, Baby

 
Hi baby lover (and especially of baby Tessa),

Have you ever had your toes sucked? If you haven't,
you are missing out on a real treat, and might want
to clean your feet and have someone that loves you
suck them. Have you ever sucked your own toes?
Do you remember putting your foot in your mouth?
(And I don't mean metaphorically.)

Well, Tessa has discovered her feet (I hear that her
Daddy, Calvin, helped her). She loves putting them
in her mouth. So, if her parents make sure she starts
taking baby yoga class, she will maintain her flexibility
and insure at least one possible career as a yoga teacher.
She is able to use her feet almost like others use their hands....

When was the last time that you were able to touch
a baby's bare skin? Oh my Goddess, Tessa's skin
is softer than I remember a baby's skin being... softer
than the finest silk.

Her favorite sound to make today sounded like she
was making a "rasberry" with her mouth. It made her
quite happy to stick her tongue out, blow bubbles and
make that hilarious sound that even a four month old
is familiar with.

Love from a Happy Grandma,
JoAnn 

Photos Out of Order

The photos are out of order;-(

I was having a difficult time seeing which photos I was actually posting. Oh, well, my bad, but they still look good! Maybe if I start posting more often I will figure it out.

Tessa with her beautiful mother, Stacey

My dear friend, Linda with Tessa

Indigo and her dad, Leo

Kamala and her dad, Adam

Calvin and Tessa

Chris and Shelley exchanging vows

Tessa Goes to a Wedding

Blessings!!

Yesterday, our dear friends Chris and Shelley celebrated their union. It was a fantasically beautiful spring day to get married on the Ranch, with soft, sweet breezes, freshly mowed, lush green lawns and flowers everywhere! If they would have gotten married just one week ago, their wedding would have been rained on. Seeing how the ritual was outdoors, the weather mattered.

Over a hundred people gathered in circle and four generations were represented. There was a lot for Tessa to see, smell, taste, touch and hear. She loves the stimulation of being outside and also she likes people.

The first photo is of Tessa and her beautiful mom, Stacey. The second is of Tessa and her nurturing father, Calvin. I must tell you that I am enormously proud of how Calvin fathers. He is present, attentive, intuitive and sweetly loving with Tessa. The next photo is of Tessa and my dear friend Linda. The next photo will give you a little flavor of the wedding with Chris and Shelley exchanging their vows. The last two photos are of two other friends with their daughters--Indigo and Leo, and Kamala (our God daughter) and Adam.

It was a great day of celebration!! Lots of tears, cheers, laughs, food, dance and children.

I am so grateful to be alive!

Healing Power of Grandma Love

This last summer I had the pure joy of being able to hang out with our God-daughter, Kamala. She was a couple of months old at that time, and I got to hold that sweet bundle of joy! To my dismay, it really hurt my elbows, wrists and hands to hold her. In fact, a couple of times I felt as though I was going to drop her. It was as though my joints couldn't handle her weight. I have been dealing with Lyme disease for decades. One of the symptoms has been my joints aching and not having much strength in my hands. I was disappointed not only because it was difficult to hold my God-daughter, but because within the year I was also going to become a Grandmother. How would I hold my Grandbaby without dropping her?

I knew the importance of exercising—especially lifting weights. When would I ever fit in exercising?
I had been doing a lot of reading about eft (emotional freedom technique), and I thought that maybe it could help me get back in to shape, so I could hold my future Grandbaby. Out of my desire to hold my grandbaby I came up with the idea of getting up a little bit earlier and exercising. Here is the way that I did it. I used the following affirmations while tapping on several of my body’s energy meridians.

“Even though I don't feel like exercising, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
“Even though I don't feel like getting out of bed to exercise, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
“Even though I feel like I would rather sleep instead of getting up to exercise, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
“Even though I don't feel like I can stick with an exercise program, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
“Even though I don't feel like I can pull this off, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
“Even though I don't feel like exercising I deeply and completely accept myself.”
“Even though I hate lifting weights, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
“Even though I feel stupid using little weights, I deeply and completely accept myself.”

Seven months later, I continue to exercise at least five days a week. I started out trying to use a hula-hoop just to make it more fun. Now, I typically jump on a mini-trampoline three times a week, and do my weight lifting routine for two days. On days that I don't feel like getting out of bed to exercise, I just eft right while I am lying in bed. Then I am able to get up and exercise!

I am pleased to say that I am proud to be a grandmother to Tessa Grace. She is now two months old and is growing quickly. Since I have been working out, I am much stronger than this last summer. I feel much more secure about holding her or my God daughter. I am so grateful to have learned how to apply eft to something that is so precious to me.

Firey Rainbow

Incredible rainbow during sunrise taken from our front yard last month.

I know I haven't posted in a while. A lot has gone on in my life. My father-in-law died, and my sweet grand daughter, Tessa Grace, was born last month. My husband, Steve, has been busy with putting the final touches on his book, Drunk with Wonder--Awakening to the God Within, and I have been trying to help him as much as I can.

I have been thinking that I am going to change the emphasis of my blog. What I am really into, besides Tessa, is emotional freedom technique. I haven't quite figured out how I am going to go about blogging about eft.

Self-portrait

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Space Ships at Eagle Peak?

Today, my husband Steve and I went for a magical walk. The last few days of stormy weather made it difficult to really enjoy being outside. The air was brisk, and the sky clean and clear except for a few clouds off in the distance. This is a shot of Eagle Peak which juts above the horizon a few miles north of where we live. It’s impossible to get a shot from our home because there is a major hill in the way. Over the years, I have heard stories about eagles nesting there, as well as space ships mysteriously coming and going.

We have an adventurous group of people who, once a year, hike up to Eagle Peak and camp out. They hiked there this week, and I suppose they got soaked—we’ve had a bunch of rain the past week or so, enough to fill our pond and create lots of runoff. Our seasonal stream is flowing merrily, and we’re able to use our hydro system to produce electricity.

Eagle Peak

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