Victoria’s Read

Judith Garcia Gullen has been practicing yoga for more than a decade. She moved to North Bay most recently from Toronto where she continued to upgrade her yoga practice. Hailing originally from Mexico, her warm and positive attitude struck a cord with Vijanti Ramlogan Murphy.

Together, they decided to hold a restorative yoga class on Tuesday nights at 6:30pm at the Namaste Energy Centre at 124 Main St. E. 2nd floor. They incorporate reiki along with this meditative yoga. They find that people are very open to the healing chi energy (reiki) they receive while in a restorative yoga pose. The key is staying in the pose for about a 5 minute period. This allows muscles to relax, stretch further and helps with aligning the spine for better health and well-being. Dedicated students find it a powerful class that also gives them take home tools they can use every day to help them focus their thoughts, heal themselves, re-energize their bodies and relieve stress.

The class starts with bringing the mind and body together using various techniques, one of which is controlled breathing. There is light stretching and some movements that help get the energy flowing. Finally, the class is guided through the poses with some soft music and a lovely ambiance of low light allowing participants to relax and be rejuvenated.

Vijanti Ramlogan Murphy is a reiki practioner. She has a strong connection to the earth and to the asian philosophy that aids in balancing chakras. She has attended Energy Healing Facilitator level one and incorporates pranic healing and soul counseling as needed into her work. Her educational background is in science with an Hon. BSc. in both environmental science and biology. This in fact, helps her channel compassionate energy and help people be grounded.

We hope you will permit yourself the pleasure to join us and give yourself some time to learn in a friendly environment. Gift certificates are available and the first class is free as a trial.

For more information, please visit us at www.reikiwithvi.ca or call 705-493-3984.

Written by: Vijanti Ramlogan Murphy

Born December 16, 1907..  Gadsby, Alberta. Died Palm Desert, California October 13, 2011

Barbara and her family moved from Alberta to California when she was a teenager. In 1925, she won the Miss Hollywood Beauty pageant. She has been described as gorgeous, full-figured and baby faced, exactly what  movie studios were looking for! Even though she had never acted previously, she was signed up by Universal Studios. The studio gave her a few brief acting lessons before she made her debut as the only woman in the western ‘Prowlers of the Night’, batting her eyelashes as she nursed the wounded sheriff back to health.

In the landmark 1926 film ‘Flesh and the Devil’,  the lovelorn Kent displayed her broken heart in an Oscar-worthy supporting performance. She starred in ‘Lonesome’, the last great silent American film in 1928 and in ‘The Shakedown’, a transition film which was mostly silent but some scenes had sound as a “special effect”. Kent’s natural voice was a bit too “tinny”. Her career in “the talkies” was in doubt. Determined to overcome the problem, she took voice lessons. Her career peaked when she played superstar Harold Lloyd’s love interest in his first two talkies, ‘Welcome Danger’ and ‘Feet First’. At 27, she was still believable as a high school student and appeared a youthful star in numerous films but her star was already fading.

In 1932, she married  Harry Edington, a longtime Hollywood producer whose credits stretch back to the silent epic Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. He tried to revive his wife’s career in the late 1930s, but her roles became smaller and her films less prestigious. Her last film was ‘Guard That Girl’ in 1935.

After her husband died in 1949, Barbara retired from show business. She retreated from public view refusing all demands for photographs and interviews. She married a second time to engineer Jack Monroe who died in 1998. She had been living in a retirement home in Sun Valley, Idaho, for many years where even her Idaho neighbors are said to be unaware that she had once graced the silver screen as an actress.  At the age of 103 she was one of the last surviving silent screen actors.

By: Dawn Monroe. famouscanadianwomen.com

Instant Oatmeal Muffins

Ingredients:
Streusel Topping:
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp butter
Muffins:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 packets instant maple and brown sugar oatmeal
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 12 muffin cups.
Combine 3 tbsp flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Use a pastry blender or two knives to cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve.
Combine 1 3/4 cup flour, white sugar, baking powder, salt and the instant oatmeal in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture; pour in the egg, milk and oil. Stir just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Evenly sprinkle streusel topping over muffins.
Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes before serving.

Easy Oatmeal Muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
In a small bowl, combine milk and oats; let soak for 15 minutes.
In a separate bowl, beat together egg and oil; stir in oatmeal mixture. In a third bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into wet ingredients, just until combined. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups until cups are 2/3 full.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

“It’s time!” she says to me on the phone, with the sound of enthusiasm you would expect to hear from a young child. “Okay? For what?” I ask my grown daughter. “To decorate your home for Christmas, of course.” She answered, trying to hide her impatience. She has always struggled with patience, right from day one. She never could grasp the idea of waiting and Christmas time was no exception. I never could figure out who she got that trait from!

This year, Christmas is here at the homestead so she is particularly even more excited. The old traditions of Christmases past will be once again: Turning off all the lights and lighting all the candles, singing along to Christmas music while we drink our mixed eggnog concoctions.

My husband and I will listen to our children’s guesses as to what’s in the beautifully rapped boxes under the twinkling Christmas tree. “If you guess it, I’ll just have to send them back to Santa!” I warn, as I did many times before in what seems not so very long ago. They laugh and with that we bundle up and head outside for a friendly snowball fight, some fun-filled sliding or just a lovely moonlight walk.

Soon, steaming hot chocolate with a generous serving of mini-marshmallows would be on everybody’s minds. We would be greeted back in with the heat of wood burning in the stove, along with its luring smell. “I brought my Bob and Doug Christmas CD.” My son would announce. Groans from us girls would follow but secretly we kind of find it mildly amusing.

It’s time to dig out the Christmas baking from the bottom of the freezer anyways so us girls would venture into the kitchen to prepare a mouth-watering platter of goodies that we had been baking and hiding from the guys for months.

As we sing and dance around to Bob and Doug’s version of ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’, the boys would hover around us in anticipation, eager to sample all of our hard work. There’s nothing like Hot chocolate and Christmas goodies!

With our bellies filled and the candles low, our eye lids grow heavy and it’s time to call it an enjoyable day. All this wonderful family time and it’s only Christmas Eve!

Tomorrow, the rest of my wonderful family will be here and I will be able to make some more life-long memories over a delicious festive meal and around the Christmas tree. I can’t wait!!!!

Victoria Says….Yeap. You guessed it. Like mother, like daughter.

Mrs Santa Clause was first introduced to the world in the book “Goody Santa Claus On A Sleigh Ride” by poet Katherine Lee Bates.

In Bates’ 1889 book, Mrs. Claus is taken along in the annual Christmas Eve toy delivery sleigh ride with Santa. Sadly, when they come to one little boy’s modest house, Santa emerges from the chimney with a tear on his cheek. The only stocking the little boy had to hang by the fireplace had a hole in it, and he was unable to fill it with any presents. Seeing an opportunity to save the day, Mrs. Claus jumps down the chimney and mends the little boy’s stocking.

Twenty years ago, Jackie Doucette-Leach discovered the intriguing aspect of home parties. Although she had always been a shy individual, Jackie liked being around others. “Since childhood, I was always shy so I contribute the home show atmosphere to curing me.”

While visiting with her sister one day last year, Jackie commented on her funky purse. Jackie’s sister told her all about SheBella.

SheBella is a relatively young company, started by two best friends, Amanda and Julie. They are a proudly owned and operated Canadian business with strong visions and deep morals. “SheBella is from London Ontario and it is just four years old and going exceptionally well.”

Jackie learned that SheBella has a refreshing and differing approach to the typical boring catalog home party. “SheBella parties are an open house style shopping experience. All the products are on display for you to buy right there and then.” SheBella provides the hottest and trendiest in purses, jewellery & scarves. They follow the fashion shows then work with their team to search for and develop inspired designs that are affordable and welcome in your everyday lives. Styles range from classic and sophisticated to casual and trendy. With their national buying power and unique business model they are able to set prices as low as $5 to no higher than $60 while still providing great on-going quality.

Fashionista, Jackie would like to invite you all out to her next Shebella Open House at 144 Thelma Ave, Friday, Dec 9th from 6-9pm and Saturday, Dec 10th from noon-9pm. “Pampered Chef and Partylite will be available too.”

Jackie feels strongly about the importance of giving back so fundraisers are always a big part of her home shows. “If you bring a gently used purse, your name will be entered into a draw. All purses will be donated to the Amelia Rising Sexual Assault Centre on behalf of Victoria’s Read.”

Peanut Butter Lover’s Month
Nov 3rd: Sandwich Day
Nov 1st: Deviled Egg Day
Nov 4th: Candy Day
Nov 5th: Donut Day
Nov 23rd: National Cashew Day
Nov 26th: Cake Day
Nov 7th: Bittersweet Chocolate With Almonds Day
Parfait Day: Nov 25th
World Kindness Day is always Nov 13th
Nov 11th: Remembrance Day
Nov 13th: Mom’s and Dad’s Day
Nov 14th: Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day
Nov 21st: World Hello Day
Nov 22nd: Stop the Violence Day
Nov 3rd: Housewife’s Day
World Peace Day: Nov 17th
Buy Nothing Day: Nov 28th
Third week in Nov: Bladder Health Week and Lung Cancer Awareness Week

November is:

Apple Month
Alzheimer’s Disease Month
Diabetes Month
Epilepsy Month
Hospice Month

The first animal in space was the female Samoyed husky named Laika, launched by the Soviets in 1957.