Picking Up the Pace; Recipe of the Month: Blueberry Sauce

Quick update: March was a hectic month. We were down to the wire on closing on our house, but were able to move in as planned on the 19th, nevermind the tendonitis flare-up in my left hand that hit me a few days before moving. It is 100% better now, thankfully! On the 26th, I taught my first workshop on, yes, injury prevention for massage therapists. Felt a little hypocritical about it, but I truly believe my tendonitis was caused by things OTHER than my work. Beyond that, I've just been trying to play catch up on things (such as this blog) that got pushed to the wayside during all that busyness. My blog will now be more structured, featuring a monthly stretch, recipe, inspiration/motivation/quote, business updates/upcoming events, and maybe some personal experience tidbits along the way. Try out this month's recipe: Blueberry Sauce. It is DE-LISH. 

Blueberry Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup orange juice
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries, 1/4 cup of water, orange juice, and sugar. Stir gently, and bring to a boil.
2. In a cup or small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water. Gently stir the cornstarch mixture into the blueberries so as not to mash the berries. Simmer gently until thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the almond extract and cinnamon. Thin sauce with water if it is too thick for your liking.

This sauce is awesome over a New York Cheesecake, waffles, ice cream, etc. It was quite a hit when I made it with my traditional cheesecake for Christmas this past year, and I'll be making it again soon to enjoy with vanilla bean ice cream. Yes, I have a bit of a sweet tooth! Enjoy!

2011: Looking Forward

My last post was geared toward catching up from the busy-ness going on already in 2011. I'd like this post to take us forward and share what is to be expected in the near future.

Saturday, March 5: This is the date of Oregon City Preschool's Auction/Fundraiser. Please help support my son's preschool. LOTS of great items to bid on--both silent and live auctions, many raffles. I've donated a 90min massage gift certificate myself. The auction takes place at Clackamas County Fairgrounds 4-H Hall from roughly 6-9pm. Come by and say Hi--my husband and I will be there!

Saturday, March 12: This is the date of the very first Save Your Hands! workshop that I'll be teaching. I'm still looking to fill the 5 more spots in this workshop, so if you know of other LMTs/students, bodyworkers, even estheticians, please let them know they can come to this workshop at a discounted price of $70, which includes a new copy of the 2nd edition Save Your Hands! book, AND 6 CEUs! It's an awesome deal. The book combined with the hands-on workshop provide a wealth of information to help LMTs learn how best to care for their bodies, what to be aware of to prevent injuries, and recognize symptoms if they do arise. 

Please note: I will be changing up my website to accommodate a page exclusively for the Save Your Hands! workshops. Some of the information currently on my website will get shifted around. Please let me know if that makes it difficult to find what you're looking for, though I'll do my best to keep it user-friendly.

Friday, March 18: This is the date that my husband and I are set to close on our house! We plan to move in that weekend, so weekend appointments won't be available that weekend. Once we have moved, my schedule will change. We are a one-car family, and moving takes us 3 miles from my office, instead of just 3 blocks, so I will only be working when my husband is home. Until he finishes his bowling leagues on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, my new schedule will be Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 5:15-8:30pm, Thursday I may be able to do a 5:15 appointment, and I will be adding in weekend availability to make up for lost time during the week.

That's the latest and greatest that comes to mind. A big thank you to everyone who bought gift certificates over the holiday season--the recipients are coming in and seem to be enjoying those gifts! Let your other gift certificate recipients know they can also print their intake form off my website (Links & Resources page) to save time when they come in to redeem their certificate.

2011 Check-In

Wow, 2011 has been rocking so far! How is it going for you?

I maintained steadiness with clients in January, then took on a new endeavor: house hunting! Truth be told, I had been opposed to buying a house just yet, feeling like my husband and I needed to get a better grip on our finances first, but he and others kept saying now is the time to buy. My pivotal moment came late one night when I wasn't quite tired enough to go to sleep yet, and found myself perusing houses posted for sale on Craigslist. I told my husband if he could get us into "THAT" house, then I would do it. "THAT" house didn't end up being the one we put an offer on, but definitely moved us into the direction of buying now. We saw 16 or 18 houses, and put in an offer on one a couple weeks ago, and are planning to close by March 18.

In addition to staying busy with my regular work duties and house hunting, I was also preparing for the trip my husband and I took to Florida, including a cruise to the Bahamas, and my workshop back on land again in Boca Raton. We had a wonderful time, enjoying our respite from parenthood while our two boys stayed with family in our absence. With the completion of my workshop, I earned new credentials: CIPI--Certified Injury Prevention Instructor, though I still need to have a dry-run through presenting my own workshop as we had practiced together in Florida. I am excited for this new branch of business opportunity.

My husband and I had our taxes done yesterday, and thanks to my increased income last year, we moved into a different tax bracket, so our refund isn't quite what we anticipated. Ordinarily, that wouldn't be much of an issue, but with buying a house, we were counting on that money to buy our major appliances. I'm sure we will work that out somehow, and one way to help off-set that unexpected imbalance is for me to be available on weekends for appointments also now. I have opened my Clickbook scheduling availability to include Saturdays and Sundays between 9am-8:30pm (not that I expect to be booked full through those times, but just offering greater flexibility for additional income).

So, as you can see, I've been quite busy this year! I'm hoping that things will begin to settle down now (HAHA, I know!), and that I will get back into my regular blogging. 

One more thing: our son's preschool (Oregon City Preschool) is having a fundraising auction on Saturday, March 5, located at the Clackamas County Fairgrounds 4H Hall, 604 NE 4th Avenue, Canby, OR 97013. If you would like to attend the auction and support Adam's school, you may buy dinner tickets for $10 (dessert included), or dessert and beverage only for $5. Raffle tickets are going for $2 each, or $5 for 3 tickets, and you can choose between entering the raffle for $200 cash, or an Amazon Kindle. There will be other raffles and live/silent auctions on-site. I've donated a 90 minute massage with body butter gift certificate, and there will be hundreds of other awesome items to bid on. You do not need to be present to win the $200 cash or Kindle raffles, however. Any support you can give is greatly appreciated! Please call me for more information and to buy dinner, dessert, and/or raffle tickets: 503-318-9626.

2010 In Review

As 2010 approached, I instinctively knew it was going to be a good year, and overall, it didn't disappoint. 

The hiccup my business ran into in March turned out to be a blessing in disguise combined with another change--getting my massage room to myself and no longer sharing it with another LMT. This change allowed me to redesign my treatment room, with the express needs of MY clients and myself in mind, not also those of the other therapist and trying to blend our styles and needs together. It also allowed me to increase my availability for appointments, moving from 3 days a week up to 5. 

The increased work time worked well for my income--I made 50% more in 2010 than I did in 2009, however, my bottom line didn't enjoy such a dramatic increase. Due in part to the redesign of my treatment room, as well as several continuing education courses, including planning for an upcoming out-of-state workshop, and a few new perks for my clients: new sheets, the full-back weighted heating pad that's getting lots of praise, and sample-size containers to allow clients to bring the spa experience home with them, my business expenses absorbed more than 50% of my total income for the year, a revelation that, while necessary at the time, I hope won't repeat itself for 2011.

In 2011, I have new goals. I will be going to a weekend workshop in Boca Raton in February to become a Certified Injury Prevention Instructor, so I will be able to teach other manual therapists ways to keep their bodies healthy, and prevent, recognize, and learn effective ways to treat injuries incurred due to the nature of their careers, and add value and longevity to their careers. I am very excited for this new venture. At this time, I don't expect it to interfere with my hands-on time with clients, but see it as another source of revenue, and likely will be implemented on the weekends. I've also decided to hold myself to a budget for my monthly business expenses, forcing myself to analyze the urgency of each potential purchase. 

In remembrance of my past life as an employee in a corporation, I don't want to sound as if my bottom line is what it's ALL about, but I would like to see the scale tip more in my favor than it did last year. My income, while not the breadwinner in my household, provides a very necessary contribution to my family's livelihood. My husband and I are beginning to very seriously consider buying a house, a goal of ours that I wasn't expecting to reach for another couple of years, and one that, if obtained soon, will require much more diligence of budgets, and watching my expenses is the biggest area I can work on to increase my bottom line. 

All that said, the good news is that you, my client, shouldn't notice much, if any, effect from these goals. I believe I set myself up pretty well in 2010 that I don't expect you or myself to feel the pull. As always, please don't hesitate to tell me your concerns. Without you all, I wouldn't be here anyway, and it will always be my goal to assure your happiness in having me as your massage therapist, this year and for many years to come.

2 Steps to a Feel-Good Body

The new year has brought new inspiration to at least a few of my clients already so far that want to make 2011 the year for themselves. It is so exciting to hear these clients talk about being ready to step into the spotlight in their own lives and deciding to make positive, healthy changes NOW.

If this is similar to your agenda, listen up. 2 simple steps will guide you on your journey to your best self. Ready?

1. Relieve the pain.

2. Fix the problem.

These steps apply particularly to how your body feels, though could be applied to other areas of your life that need attention. 

Initially, you need to end the pain. Along that process, if you are getting massages from me, I can help guide you into the next step: Fix the problem. That might mean seeing a chiropractor to re-align your spine. You might realize it comes from within--perhaps you need to change some of your lifestyle habits that have caused your pain, such as your eating, exercising, and stress-management patterns. It might be correcting a poorly designed workstation. 

Once you relieve the pain and fix the problem, check in periodically, whether with regular massage, chiropractic adjustments, or within yourself, and make sure the problem doesn't sneak back into your life.

Make 2011 an awesome year. This is your life. You only get one run through it, make it the life of your dreams--what is there that's holding you back? Tackle it. Live this life!

Healthy Living To Go

I happen to be a Kaiser member and recently found out about these complimentary audio programs on guided imagery. 


Guided imagery is a type of relaxation exercise designed to engage your mind, body, and spirit. Guided imagery programs are gentle, but powerful.


There are several titles/topics to choose from, including: Anger and forgiveness, Ease pain, Fibromyalgia and fatigue, Healthful sleep, Panic attacks and anxiety, Relaxation and wellness, Relieve allergies, Relieve headaches, Self confidence, Weight loss, Holiday depression, and many more.


You can listen directly from the website, or download as MP3 and take it with you wherever you go.


Please enjoy! 

Play Hard.

The holiday season is well known for being a stressful time of year. While it's taken some practice, I've enjoyed this season more by learning how to manage my 24 hours in the day, and you can too.

Being self-employed can make things a little more challenging at times, or maybe takes longer for the light bulb to click on and register a better idea or way of doing things. Sometimes, it takes 12 times to be told the same thing before recognizing a brilliant idea or needed change. Sometimes, you just have to sleep on it for 5 or 6 months and feel just a little slow in realizing how simple it really is. This much I know from personal experience.

To anyone else that may benefit from my experiences, I offer my knowledge to you. 

Create structure. Develop systems. Within these, don't forget to include "play" time--be it with your kids, a hot soak in the tub with the door locked and the phone turned off, or indulging in your choice guilty pleasure. Budget your finances and time alike. And, make comprises with both. Account for all things needed and desired. 

Your dreams and happiness are within reach. Do NOT allow yourself or others to encourage you to sacrifice your dreams or happiness. Understand, the old adage "work before play" holds true. Your dreams and happiness are your "play," and your work is whatever it takes to reach them--working to pay off bills from before you finally understood when you heard it the 12th time, getting up early to hit the gym or hit the books--whatever it may be in your life that is in your way. Deal with it head-on. Take one step at a time, leave one bite on the plate, work an extra hour each day. 

The feeling you get when you reach your goals and begin to live the life of your dreams is unimaginable. And even when you think life can't get any better, you start to dream again...of what else is possible in this life. And you can do it.

Play hard.

PS--this blog was inspired by rug burns I got on my arms today while playing with the kids at JJ Jump. Deep. :)