Terre Pruitt's Blog

In the realm of health, wellness, fitness, and the like, or whatever inspires me.

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Posts Tagged ‘Amazon’

« Previous Entries

Sparkles For Hair

Posted by terrepruitt on July 21, 2021

Oh you may be familiar with my love of sparkle. I was given a gift certificate to a place called Kitsch, a website that has fancy hair products. I found some sparkly barrettes or snap clips. They have crystals on them and they are so sparkly I love them.  I am impressed with the quality.  The crystals are attached very well and are good quality. I am so grateful for the generous gift.

Sometime later I went online in search of other sparkly hair bobbles and I discovered the sparkly barrettes! Yay!  I was able to purchase two more. They are the regular sized snap clips/barrettes so they don’t necessarily hold a lot of hair so it is nice to have two more, plus – MORE SPARKLE.

Well, this is just me sharing my love of sparkles. Anyone else have a love of sparkles?

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Covering The Camera

Posted by terrepruitt on December 14, 2020

It is a widely known fact that our devices, especially certain applications, listen to us. So, I don’t necessarily trust that my camera is not on when I don’t want it to be. I like to be unable to see that it is able to take pictures. In addition to my phone, I use two devices with cameras, a laptop and a monitor to teach my yoga, Nia, and stretch classes via Zoom. On both the laptop and the monitor I used to have a folded piece of paper taped over the camera. I had assumed there were devices that would block the camera, but I assumed they were “big” and “bulky”. I was thinking that whatever could cover the camera would not allow the laptop to shut properly. But finally when my piece of paper fell off the last time I decided to actually shop – online, of course. And, of course, I found something on Amazon.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia online, San Jose Virtual classes, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, Nia Technique, Yin Yoga, stretch classes, online exercise, Zoom classes, virtual yoga, City of San Jose online exercise, live classes via Zoom, Nia White Belt training via ZoomThe pictures showed it to be very tiny. So tiny that you could put it on a phone to block that camera. I thought it would work on a laptop and monitor if it worked on a phone. So I ordered a 3 pack for $5.99.

They are so tiny, they work great. I don’t have one on my phone, but I put one on the laptop and the monitor. They can hardly be seen – I had a difficult time taking a picture of it. I love them. It is the peel and stick type of thing. I don’t know how long it will last, but I have an extra one since I only used two. They are cool. It is so much better than having a paper that falls off. As I mentioned the taped paper would fall off often, when I took the paper off and put it somewhere on the monitor so I could use it when I was done, it would fall off. I was constantly “losing” it. This device is just a little slide.

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The ones I bought are oval shaped, but they have rectangles. There are even some that have a red dot to indicate something – either open or closed, I don’t remember which, but that sounds like it would be handy. But I only saw the dot on the rectangle kind and I liked the oval ones, they looked smaller.

I know there is one laptop . . . at least there used to be a commercial on TV that showed you could visible cover the camera.  I don’t know if they still make that or if other laptops have that.  My husband has an external camera that has a little piece of plastic that flips over the camera. So . . . with all of these camera covers available I know I am not the only one that likes to visibly cover the camera.

How do you feel? Do you see the need for camera covers?

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Magnetic Eyeliner And Magnetic Eyelashes Part 2

Posted by terrepruitt on September 28, 2020

I feel that there are plenty of blogs, articles, and vlogs out there showing you how to put the eyelashes on**.  So this is just me sharing a bit about my experience of wearing them and taking them off (and why I am playing with them – Part 1). I mentioned I have only worn them twice, but since then I wore them an additional time so I do want to share a quick observation about putting them on.  The instructions (and several things I have read/seen) say to put the eyelash on when the eyeliner is still tacky – NO, not for me**.  So far I am putting on a thin line (not as thin as I would like/normally wear) but thinner than what I thought would be necessary.  I have not yet applied a second coat . . . so far one coat is working . . . but keep in mind I don’t wear them all day.  I am only popping mine on to wear for a weekly lZoom party.

Another thing, the first time I wore them I didn’t put any mascara on my eyelashes.  The second time I did.  I am going to pretty much stick to NOT putting mascara on my eyelash because part of the reason I wanted these “PUT ONS” was so that I didn’t have to futz with my own eyelashes.  Once I start with the curling and the mascara then I might as well just do that instead of adding the false ones.

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Magnetic Eyelashes after 7 hrs coming off but can barely tell

So . . . most of my pictures are of the eyelashes and how they look AFTER the 7 hours (since I wore them again I have additional pictures to show the SHORTEST ones).  The first set of pictures was my birthday party and I didn’t have a chance to get shots right after I put them on and before all of the Lemon Drop Martinis.  🙂  This is after where the inner eye portion of the lash started coming off.  In my opinion it doesn’t even really LOOK that bad.  I just wanted to point it out and let people know that it did start to come off . . . again, it could just be a matter of needing MORE eyeliner or 7 hours being the limit of wear.

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Magnetic Eyelashes I’m pointing at the “coming off” – infinity shot

Also . . . (again this was AFTER the party (i.e. Lemon Drop Martinis)) I thought it was really cool how I got the infinity eyelash me going on.  I cannot take a good selfie to save my life so this is all I could manage.  It was really late and I was hoping to get to bed soon, but I wanted to get some shots of my lashes.

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Magnetic Eyelashes after 7 hrs coming off, looks ok, feel weird

The pictures are also showing how they come off.  I just peel them off and as you can (hopefully) see, the eyeliner comes off with the magnets.  So the eyeliner looks “dashed” where the magnet “left” it.  Also a picture showing how thick the eyeliner is.

Now . . . you may or may not be able to get a good idea of how long/wide the eyelash is from it being on my eye.

You could look at the specs on the site, but for me, that didn’t really MEAN anything.  So I thought I would show the eyelash in an eyelash curler – granted my eyelash curler is so old that many of you may not have one like that so it may not do you any good . . . but I thought I would try.  I hope this gives you an idea of the length of the lash as it would go across the eye.

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Me peeling the Magnetic eyelash off

I did NOT cut them at all.  I think they fit fine.  Of course, someone out there might look and tell me they need to be cut because I am not wearing them correctly, but they feel ok to me.  For a few moments after I put them on, they feel weird, but after a few blinks my eyes get used to them and it is business are usual.

I wear glasses.  I like my glasses pretty close to my eye and these do not rub on the glasses.

When was shopping for the kit I decided I would wear the sparse, but long lashes (those are pictured in first post where I just slapped it on).  Well, it turns out I like the REALLY LONG THICK lashes.  The ones I think are RIDICULOUS.  They are so fun.  Also, I thought I would never wear the shortest ones, but on this last wear (the third time) I did.

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Hopefully you can see how the eyelash peeled off the eyeliner

Also, there is a picture of the ingredients in the eyeliner.  If you know the difference between this and “regular” eyeliner, please let us know.

If you have been thinking about buying some and having some fun, I hope this has inspired you to do so.  Why not?

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Ha! Lovely – trying to highlight the “dashed” effect of peeling off eyelashes

I know these two posts about false eyelashes have been really long, but I just wanted to share because I think they are super fun.  And, to me, especially right now, if you can add a little fun into your life then — why not?  I hope these posts have given you some insight into magnetic eyelashes . . . . for those of you that are interested.  I also know that there are a lot of pictures.  🙂 I was really trying to show what was going on with the eyelashes and I am not good at getting good selfies.  I rather like the infinity effect!

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Showing the eyeliner, the lash (these are the BIG ones), and the dashed eyeliner

*from Magnetic Eyeliner And Magnetic Eyelashes Part 1 post, explanation of socialization:

I am very fortunate that I teach yoga, Nia, and stretch online – via Zoom – my students are awesome and we visit after class.  So I DO get to socialize a bit that way, BUT . . . I am wearing my workout clothes and I don’t wear makeup aside from a little bit of eyeliner which ends up all smudged.  So when I say “ONLY socialization that we do where I can wear regular clothes and put on makeup” or “the only “regular” socialization” that is what I mean.

**from post above; I put the eyelash on while the liner was still tacky and I do not like that.  I felt that instead of the magnet sticking to the magnetic aspect of the eyeliner the eyelash/magnet got stuck in the tackiness of the eyeliner and it was icky.

ONE TIP, I did read somewhere . . . and I thought it was a GREAT idea for those that do wings with their eyeliner:  DON’T WASTE THE MAGNETIC EYELINER ON THE WING.  Save the magnetic stuff for your actual lash line where the eyelash is going to be.  Use your regular eyeliner for your flick.  I thought that was a great idea, since I think the magnetic eyeliner can be expensive.

So . . . . are ready to talk more about magnetic eyelashes?  Are you ready to get some? 

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Magnetic Eyelash in eyelash curler – for scale

 

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Ingredients in magnetic eyeliner

 

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3rd time wearing eyelashes – 09.26.20 – shortest pair I thought I would never wear

 

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3rd time wearing eyelashes – after 6 or 7 hours 09.26.20 – shortest pair surprised I like ’em

 

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3rd time wearing eyelashes – after 6 or 7 hours 09.26.20 – shortest pair eyes closed

Again, are you ready to get some?

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Magnetic Eyeliner And Magnetic Eyelashes Part 1

Posted by terrepruitt on September 23, 2020

Ohmyword! I can make my eyelashes pretty long. Curling them and putting mascara on. But I have very few eye lashes. I always have had sparse eyelashes. At a couple of points in my life I’ve worn fake eyelashes to fill in “bald” spots in my lash line, first one eye then the other. I have very deep set eyes so I think eyelashes help bring them out a little bit. So I really like to have eyelashes. I remember buying a full set with glitter on them thinking it would be fun to wear them when I dressed up for an anniversary. But I didn’t take into account the glitter falling off into my eyes. I remember contacts and glitter don’t mix, but I don’t remember if I wore them through the night or took them off or what . . . maybe as I was getting ready I realized it and didn’t wear them . . . I don’t know. As time goes on my eyes are even more hooded than they used to be and my eyelashes even more sparse.  I know there are some amazing mascaras out there that can plump, lengthen, and multiply your eyelashes, but I have not invested in them. I rarely wear makeup so it is impossible for me to spend more than $7.00 on a tube of mascara because I might only get five uses out of it because it dries up and gets clumpy so fast. If I were wearing makeup every day that would be a different story, since I am not, it is just not worth spending more. Those magnetic eyelashes had intrigued me. The ones that are a top and a bottom (think sandwich) and you put your real lashes in between them. But those are always REALLY big and thick and it doesn’t seem like my poor little eyelashes would do well smooshed between a set of eyelashes so I never got any of those. But you may be aware, nowadays they have magnetic eyeliner that attracts the magnetic eyelashes. So you can actually just wear one line of eyelashes instead of two like sandwich bread. I decided to treat myself to some for my birthday.

We have some friends that we Zoom with every week and since it is the ONLY socialization that we do where I can wear regular clothes and put on makeup*, I do. But on camera my puny little eyelashes look even less “there” and sometimes it is so hot by the time the meeting has started the curl (and length) has completely fallen out of my eyelashes and I am back to looking like I have no eyelashes. Now, mind you, the couple that we Zoom with COULD NOT careless, neither could my husband (bless all of their hearts), it is just me. I like to have it LOOK like I put on makeup when I actually put on makeup. And, this is seriously the only “regular” socialization that we do. So . . . I decided a little treat would be fun.

Now, since I started thinking about getting the magnetic eyelashes I have been inundated with ads on Facebook. There were two companies that were showing up, once I actually did a search I received ads from many more companies. There are a lot of companies that sell lashes. I was looking for a lash with five magnets because I was under the impression that the lashes are long and I would have to cut them to fit my eye so I didn’t want a three magnet lash and end up cutting one off. I was also looking for something REALLY affordable because I didn’t want to spend a lot of money when I wasn’t even sure I was going to like them or if they would work. And then I started thinking I wanted some that came in a set with more than one pair because it would be fun to have REALLY big crazy ones. I would always look at the lashes and choose the less long length and “sparse” ones (those terms are relative). I had just wanted to add to mine not take them over.  (Spoiler alert:  THAT CHANGED!)

I ordered some and they arrived a day earlier then I was told. I was so excited, I ripped them out of the box ready to slap ’em on to see what they were like. Then I thought, “Ugh. I better read the directions.” So I did, the directions say to do an “allergy test”. That sounded like a great idea. But it didn’t say WHAT that was. The internet said to put the eyeliner behind your ear or something. And to wait 24 hours. Well, yeah . . . no. I am not that patient. So I shook the eyeliner bottle (I followed that instruction at least) and applied a thin line of one layer on my eyelid. Then I put the eyelash up to my eyelid and “schloop!” it stuck. It’s cool. It’s fun. That first time I didn’t do it close enough to my nose. I also didn’t do the second eye because if I was allergic I didn’t need BOTH eyes swollen and/or crusty.

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I got the set on Amazon for $15.29 since then the price went down to $14.99. They are FAKE eyelashes, as in, they are not real hair/fur. The kit comes with four pair of eyelashes (in little round cases), magnetic eyeliner, and a METAL pair of tweezers. I don’t understand the metal tweezers because the second time (the time I was going to actually wear the eyelashes) I picked the eyelash up with the tweezers and it stuck to it. No! I don’t want it sticking then it won’t attract nicely to my eye!  So I just use my fingers to put the lashes on.

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The eyeliner is like a coating. So when I take the eyelashes off the liner sticks to the eyelash/magnet and peels it off my eye. I can scratch/peel the rest off of my eye if I want or just use make up remover.  I use makeup remover.

I don’t want a THICK line of eyeliner so I do it as thin as possible and I only do one coat. I don’t wear them for a long time. The first time it was about 3.5 to 4 hours and they made it pretty well. This last time (only the second time) they started to come off on the inside. Again, I might have needed more eyeliner or they just might have been at their time limit – it was about 7 hours.

UGH – post is so long . . . tune in for part 2.

Posted in Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments »

Listening To Books

Posted by terrepruitt on November 19, 2018

Have you ever listened to an audio book? Ha, as I was typing that I realized they used to be called “Books on Tape.” Anyway, have you ever listened to one? What do you think about “reading” like that? I like it. My husband recently decided to download an app and join the club . . . or whatever, however it works. He has been listening to audio books. He is running and walking a lot so he enjoys listening to books as he gets his run/walk in. We used to listen to books on tape. It is cool now that the book is just in the phone and there is not lugging a bunch of tapes or even CDs around. AND that we can both listen to the book at the same time.  I enjoy listening to audio books, but I do need to rewind sometimes when my mind wanders. I was just remembering two stories about when we used to listen to books on tape a long time ago.

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The other story I think is related to the same series. We used to listen to a book series. I was listening to it first. We would check it out from the library and then one of us would listen to it and then the other. This was before we were married – as was the Fresno incident – and I listened to the book on the way to my husband’s (well, boyfriend, at the time) house. When I arrived at his house I was at a point in the book where something important was about to be revealed so I sat in my car to finish listen to that part. Well, it was a sad part. One of the main characters we loved had been killed and the story revealed it by having his lover – the main character – find his face – not his head, just his face! – discovered in a refrigerator or cabinet (I don’t remember which). But I was so sad. I sat in my car trying to collect myself. But I couldn’t sit there all day. So when my husband (boyfriend) opened the door after I knocked he took one look at me and said, “He died, huh?” I was teary-eyed so he knew right away. That wouldn’t have happened if I would have been actually reading a book because I couldn’t have read it on the way over.  And with the audio books available on phones, we don’t have to wait for the other one to be finished with the cassette tape or CD.  Now-a-days we can listen to a book at the same time in different locations, we don’t even have to be together.

These to stories always make me laugh.  And I always share them with people when the subject of audio books comes up.

So, have you ever listened to an audio book? Do you like to listen to books? If you do listen to books, do you ever have to rewind it because you missed a portion of it?

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Polished Fluorite

Posted by terrepruitt on October 1, 2018

I order a lot of stuff from Amazon. Most of the time it goes pretty well, but sometimes it does not. But I try to pay attention and only order certain things (like clothes) that have free returns. Well, sometimes when they ship the wrong thing is really doesn’t matter if the return was stated as free because when they send you the wrong thing it is up to them/the seller to fix it. A couple of months ago I ordered a stone and they shipped the wrong one. At first when I opened the package I was very disappointed because it was not the color that I was hoping for. When you order things like natural stones they warn you that the color will not be what you see in the picture, but what I received was way off. It took me a moment to realize that this was not the stone I ordered.  I didn’t order another one right away.  But I finally did and now I have some fluorite.

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“Fluorite comes in a wide range of colors and has consequently been dubbed “the most colorful mineral in the world”. Every color of the rainbow in various shades are represented by fluorite samples, along with white, black, and clear crystals. The most common colors are purple, blue, green, yellow, or colorless. Less common are pink, red, white, brown, and black. Color zoning or banding is commonly present. The color of the fluorite is determined by factors including impurities, exposure to radiation, and the absence or voids of the color centers.”

I am used to the multi-colored polished stones. With light hues of pink-purple, green-blue, pinks, purples, greens, and blues in it. I have seen some dark ones, but I have not gotten one.  The ones I got were light.

Wiki also states that fluorite is a source of a common chemical used to make a number of things, that is has ornamental uses, and even optical uses.

If you believe in the healing properties of crystals and stones then fluorite can help clear your mind. It can help get rid of negativity. It helps clear the way to joy. It helps bring order to chaos. It helps you focus. It can be used when you need to concentrate or get rid of a mental block. For some, this clearing of the mind can help with relaxation. Help with relaxation might translate into help in sleeping. Fluorite is often used to promote the positive energy while removing the negative energies. It is thought to help relieve the electromagnetic stress we are under every day with the use of everything electronic.

Do you have a stone/crystal collection?  Do you have fluorite in you stone/crystal collection?  

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What To Do With CousCous

Posted by terrepruitt on August 26, 2016

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitWhat do you do with couscous?  I like couscous.  One time when I made it, both my husband and I decided that we really like it.  I usually buy Near East brand.  I usually by flavored kind.  Our favorite is a Garlic and Olive Oil.  We also eat a Parmesan flavor.  But the boxes are very small and they really, when I think about it, are kind of expensive. I usually pay over three dollars for a box.  It really only works for one meal.  So to me that is expensive.  So I went to where I always go to when I am shopping for less expensive stuff – Amazon.  I ended up buying a lot of couscous.  I got FOUR bags, that can serve as FOUR meal sides EACH, for $16!  But now what do I do with all that couscous?

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit

 

 

 

 

One thing I LOVE about it, is that cooks so fast.  It is so easy.  So really adding too much to it, just takes away from that.  But when you have as much as I do ya look for different things to do with it.

One thing I did that was awesome and easy was just chop us some kale and throw it in.  I chopped up the kale and two minutes into the last five minutes of the couscous cooking I put it in the pot and stirred it.  Then let the couscous continue to cook.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitBut that to me is still more of a side dish.  I wanted something to eat as a main dish.  So what do I do when I am trying to add some “weight” to a meal?  AND I happen to have made hamburgers a couple of days before?  Well, I throw in beef, of course.  It was very good!  So I thought I would share what I did.

 

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Beef, Kale, and Couscous

1/4 teaspoon coconut oil

1 tablespoon red onion

a little less than 1/4 pound ground beef

2 kale leaves

1 1/4 cup water

2 teaspoons butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon garlic salt

3/4 teaspoon powdered garlic

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitHeat the oil in a pan.  Once it is heated add the onions.  Cook the onions a bit.  Then add the meat.  As the meat is cooking, begin to boil the water.  Add the salt and butter to the water.

Fine chop the kale.  After the water has boiled, add the couscous to the water.  Set a timer for 2 minutes.  When the timer goes off sprinkle the garlic and turmeric on the couscous and add the kale, then sprinkle the garlic salt on top of the kale.  Stir everything together.  Then set the timer for 2 minutes and let it all finish cooking.

Once the couscous is done add the meat.  Then stir it all together, mixing it well.  Then serve.

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Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitAs you can see from my pictures I used too small of a sauce pan to mix it all in it.  So I did the final mixing in the pan I used to cook the meat.

The beef adds a richness and not a lot is needed.  The beef also helps it be satisfying as an entrée.I added more garlic salt while it was on my plate.  I added pepper to my husband’s plate.  My hubby and I really enjoyed this so I will probably be doing it again.

So, as I said – what do you do with couscous?

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PS  While I was looking for my kale and couscous pictures a search reveal this post Couscous, Fennel, and Garbanzo Beans.  I forgot about this.

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Easy To Clean, Perhaps Not So Easy To Drink From

Posted by terrepruitt on July 11, 2016

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitI have written about how my hubby and I feed the hummingbirds. I have written about their tongues. I have written about the sugar we use.  I have shared them being in our yard. In one of those posts I’ve had to have mentioned how difficult it is to clean the feeders. With the hummingbirds putting their tongues in the feeders there is a lot of stuff that grows in there. It pretty much looks like black slime. It is pretty gross. The way the feeders are constructed it is difficult to get in there and clean it out. We have several different brushes and we poke ’em through the little holes and clean the sludge out as best as we can. But it is time consuming – and gross. I have always wondered why someone hasn’t made a feeder that comes apart easily so that it is easier to clean. Easier to make sure all the gunk is gone. Well, I found one. I was so excited. I think I had food made up on the day they were scheduled to arrive so once they got here I could just fill them and put them outside. Well, sadly, I am disappointed in them.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitI had found them on Perky Pet. But we had two that were still useable so I was going to wait until we needed one before I bought it. Well, it just happened within days of me finding it, I was washing the ones we had and I broke one. It fell in the sink and broke. Then I found the feeder sold through Amazon and it was Prime so it would get here faster and free. The new ones look the same as our old ones.  With slight differences.

When I got it I filled it and put it outside. The birds didn’t touch it. They used the other feeder. I even put the new one in the spot where the old one was – 1) I didn’t trust that it wouldn’t leak (so I put it over the dirt) 2) I thought that would encourage them to use it.

When I saw a bird at the new feed what I saw was the little hummingbird sitting on it and then having to REACH his neck up really tall in order to get his beak into the “bee guard” flower. The flowers on the new feeders have a little tube that are supposed to keep bees out. But our birds are so tiny they really have to reach to get at the right angle.

I thought I could use the OLD flowers in the new feeder, but of course not. They are not interchangeable. Since I thought the little tube was the problem, I cut them off all of the flowers. But still, the birds were not using it as much as the old feeder.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitI am not sure what the issue is. I THINK that the nectar doesn’t flow freely from the bottle into the reservoirs. So what I do is go outside every once in awhile and jiggle the feeder. When I jiggle it, bubbles blurp in the bottle and then I can actually see the sugar water at the holes of the flowers. So I know they can get at it.

The past two nights the old feeder has been empty so we have seen increased activity by the new feeder, but they still don’t seem to be using it as much. Or they try and they can’t get at the water . . . I am not sure. I am not filling the feeders as much, but there seems to be the same amount of birds and activity in the yard. To me if the birds are there in full force the feeders should be empting faster.

We will see. It is REALLY nice to have the feeders come apart. When they are apart I can ensure that I get it clean. There are no nooks and crannies for the slime to hide in. I really like that part. I just want to make sure that the birds can drink out of them.

I am about to fill all three again . . . . we will see how it goes. Perhaps it was just a matter of the birds getting used to using the new one. They might have to use the new feeders differently because they are configured little differently inside.

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Seeds: Sesame and Nigella

Posted by terrepruitt on March 30, 2016

My favorite recipe as of late called for white sesame seeds and Nigella seeds.  Now I know what sesame seeds are, but I didn’t know there were black/brown ones.  I didn’t know what Nigella seeds were and the recipe even noted that they might be hard to find so black sesame, black cumin, or onion seeds could be used as a substitute.  But I found them easy enough on Amazon, but they were listed under several different names.  And when I googled them, even more names came up.  I love this recipe enough I can see myself using all the seeds just for this, but if not I was curious what else I could use them in.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitI know that sesame seeds are used in a lot of dishes, but I don’t normally use them.  According to Nutrition and You they have been used in “traditional medicines for their nutritive, preventive, and curative properties and are an important source of phyto-nutritents.”  Sesame seeds are high in protein, and like all seeds and nuts they are also high in fat.  But it is thought that this fat is actually one of the better ones in that it has been shown to lower the LDL cholesterol and raise the HDL cholesterol.  The USDA National Nutrient data base has the pictured information listed for “Seeds, sesame seeds, whole, dried”.

You are probably familiar with sesame seeds because they are used in many things.  For one they are famous a top a bun, yes?  They are also what makes up Tahini which is an ingredient in humus.  They are used in so many things it is almost as if they go unnoticed.

Now this nigella seed, what it up with that?  Well, Wiki helps a bit with the names by stating “In English, Nigella sativa and its seed are variously called black-caraway, black-cumin, fennel-flower, nigella, nutmeg-flower, Roman-coriander, and kalonji (from Hindi).”  As I mentioned the recipe I made said you could us black cumin as a substitute, but according to what I have seen on the internet (included Wiki) black cumin is just another NAME for nigella seeds.  It seems that this seed just has a lot of names.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitJust like the sesame seed, there are claims that the nigella seed helps lower LDL.  Claims also include they help to lower blood pressure, have anti-asthmatic effects, relieve viral sore throats, protect the brain against radiation damage, help reduce the possibility of morphine addiction, reduce symptoms of chemical weapons exposure, helps prevent post-surgical scars of the  a thin, delicate sheet that lines the inside wall of the abdomen and covers the uterus and extends over the bladder and rectum (the  peritoneum), protect neurons, slow the spread of cervical cancer, and, as a topical, helps with psoriasis.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitInternet information refer to it as the “cure all for everything but death”.  And it sure sounds like it with all of the aforementioned information that was found on NaturalSociety from a post from 2013.  I hadn’t even mentioned the info on the first part of the post stating that is it thought to help people with Type 2 diabetes, epilepsy, colon cancer, breast cancer, leukemia, and oral cancer.  AND . . . (yes there is more) help protect against damage to the heart from heart attacks, and also treat MRSA!  Wow.  And to think I had never even heard of the stuff.

This is the type of seed that can be added to many dishes.  The recipe I made called for it to be sprinkled on the pan so it stuck to the outside of the cake while baking.  But I really liked the flavor of both the seeds so I plan on putting some on top, if not inside.  I think inside the cake they would not get the same toastiness that they did on the outside of the pan.  But I can see adding them to other things.  I will add it to vegetables as I cook them and then on top when I serve them.  I might put some on my sandwiches.  They will probably add a nice extra layer of flavor.  Oooo.  I can’t wait to try that.

Seems like the benefits thought to be held in those little seeds are worth adding them to everything.

Do you cook with nigella seeds?  What about sesame seeds?

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Lateral Travel

Posted by terrepruitt on February 11, 2014

In Nia we have a base of 52 Moves. Not surprising they are called The 52 Moves of Nia. As I have stated before they are not unique to Nia. You have probably done some of them at one point in your life. If you have taken dance or you participate in a group exercise class that is dance oriented then you more than likely have done some of them. They are just gathered into a group for Nia because of their benefits and fun. So they are included in the Nia Routines. Not all of them are in every routine, but a good portion appear in each routine. Plus whenever there is Free Dance they might make an appearance. One of the base moves . . . . moves we do primarily with the base of our body . . . is Lateral Traveling.

Lateral Traveling is specific and different from Traveling In Directions. Traveling in Directions is a move done in all directions . . . . Lateral Traveling is done to the side. The Nia Technique (have you gotten your copy yet? Click here to go to Amazon to order your copy.) describes Lateral Travel as a step together step or a grapevine. The specifics are to start in a closed stance, then take one step to the side, then place your feet together (moving the other leg to the first leg that stepped), then take one step to the side, then move the leg toward the other one, but instead of placing it next to your leg cross it back.

A grapevine is where you step one leg to the side then the next step is BEHIND, then step to the side, where the next step goes depends. Sometimes you can land on the heel or behind or with the knee up. Grapevines are a nice replacement for four point turns. There are many reasons why people don’t turn so using this lateral move, the grapevine, is perfect.

With both methods the instructions say to use your hands to lead you. Have them out in the direction you are going. The instructions also say, “When you step behind, step onto the back ball of the foot and keep your knees spring loaded and your spine vertical.” For clarification, the “back ball of the foot” is the foot that is in the back or behind.

This is a “two side” move. To practice you do to one side then the other. To the left, then to the right. (Or to the right, then the left.)

So this is the specific Lateral Travel: Step together step or grapevine. I have found my self using the phrase “travel laterally” at times when I am leading my San Jose Nia class (or any Nia class for that matter) and I am not instructing them to do the specific Lateral Travel. But I guess that is the difference. There is “travel laterally” and do the “Lateral Travel” move.

Many moves in Nia are good for the coordination. This is one. Step together step is not necessarily a difficult move but depending on the speed and what comes before it and after it, it can call upon your coordination. Although, I would say this is one of the easier 52 Moves of Nia.

Varying the speed and adding some movement to the body can change it up a bit and perhaps add a some challenge to it.

So there you have it another move in Nia’s 52 Moves.

You probably find yourself doing this one often, huh? Even when you are not on the dance floor?

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