If Blogging was a Crime...

Here's a fun fact I found today on Self-PublishingReview.com:

FACT: If blogging was a crime, and in some cases it very much should be, it would be the number one source of criminal activity in the land.” Adam Brown, FreeLanceSwitch Site, 01/07/09.

Smashwords

Smashwords is a great place to publish your ebooks. If you meticulously follow their Style Guide requirements, your ebooks will be distributed through their premium catalog. The premium catalog gets forwarded to sites like Sony eReader, Kobo, B&N and soon the Apple ipad.

Smashwords, said today it has signed a distribution deal with Apple to put its books into the iPad iBookstore. Mark Coker, chief executive of Smashwords, said in an email to authors that his company has been working on the deal ever since the iPad was announced.

Luckily, I got both books, "Quest for Nobility" and "The Crystal Facade" formatted, uploaded and accepted into the premium catalog which means they will be available on the Apple ipad. Dave and I are very happy. How cool is that?

OPTIMISM DOES THE BODY GOOD

Morning Beautifuls!

Over the weekend, I read a really great article on a topic that, I'm sure most of us already know. But I just had to share it anyhow. It's regarding a study on optimisms effect on the immune system.

Psychological scientists Suzanne Segerstrom of the University of Kentucky and Sandra Sephton of the University of Louisville recruited first-year law students by sending them a packet during the summer before classes started. The 124 students who participated in the research were studied five times over six months.

The students' general outlook on life -- whether they had an optimistic disposition -- didn't account for the differences in immune responses between students. But as each student's expectations about law school waxed and waned, their immune response followed along, the study said. At more optimistic times, they'd have bigger immune responses; at a more pessimistic time, a more sluggish immune response, the researchers said.

All the more reason to stay focused on the good and positive.

If you want to read more about this, you can click here for the full article.

Have a wonderful day!


**Above photo is of a Reed Seifer.

THERE'S GONNA BE SOME CHANGES AROUND HERE...

Hi Gorgeous!

Yes, I know things are looking pretty different from usual, but I assure you this is temporary until I fix the blog up, if not exactly, at least as close to the way I envision it as possible. I've been wanting to change the looks for quite awhile now but I've always feared trying to on my own since I don't know much about html nor had the budget to invest in someone to do so for me. Since blogger has stepped it up a bit, I'm able to do so with little knowledge. Thank God!

Please bear with me as I play around with things some more.

{{Hugs}},

LONG OVERDUE JUICE FAST/FEAST UPDATE

Hi Gorgeous,

Some time ago in the far, far away realm of my personal history... Well, actually it was Feb. 14th. Anyhoo, last month I talked about me choosing to do a one-day juice fast/abbreviated juice feast. It was actually motivated by HippieMom over at The Raw Journal.

Let me tell you, I was extremely pumped about it. I gathered & researched my books on juicing. Had picked out the particular juices that I was going to focus on. Purchased a few vitamins and supplements. And had gone to the Farmers Market and bought a ishload of produce.
I. Was. Ready.

That morning when I got up, I had such a sense of peace. It's hard to explain but I felt a peace, calmness and sense of well being. Go figure. I guess I had already begun the process of "clearing out" in my mind.

The juicing went well. I never was hungry. Seriously. By the afternoon, the only thing that kicked in was my desire to chew. I actually missed the act of chewing. HippieMom even mentioned this in her post on her juicing experience. It was quite interesting feeling this way. I ended up not fasting beyond that one day. But my conclusion is that I will definitely do it again. I'm actually contemplating juice fasting/feasting this weekend.

Here's a couple of my fav juice recipes:

CO's Basic Green Yummy Juice
1 Granny Smith apple
1 lemon
a few leaves of kale
several leaves of green lettuce
several leaves of red lettuce
**It's really up to your discretionary tastes as to how many green leaves you'd like in your own juice.

Apple, Carrot & Celery or Ginger Juice
2 gala apples
1 stalk of celery or an inch(or 2) of ginger
several carrot stalks
**I like to be heavy on the carrot juice so I typically add at least 6 to 8 stalks. Not so fond of celery, so it's just 1 stalk of that. Lol.

Also, I do use organic produce.

Have you juiced anything lately?....

Otharia website redesigned

Our author pages, Otharia.com, have been totally redesigned. Thanks Dave. If you get a chance, go over and take a look and tell us what you think. You can send an email to info@otharia.com with your comments.

WORLD NATURAL HAIR HEALTH & BEAUTY SHOW UPDATE

Just a reminder for any of you in metro Atlanta and surrounding areas about this expo coming next month on April 10 - 11th. I went last year, had a blast and picked up a fair amount of products at some really great prices. No super deepness. Just fun. I looked at the current list of exhibitors and am sure there will be more. Definitely looking forward to this years show and will, more than likely, be there on Saturday. Anyone wanna come with?...

This year, its being held at the Georgia International Convention Center.

Georgia International Convention Center
2000 Convention Center Concourse
College Park, GA 30337
Phone: (770) 997-3566

According to the site, the exhibit hall will be open from 10am - 7 pm on both days and the cost for general admission will be $10 a day, which is a great budget-friendly price. This ticket covers "entrance into exhibit hall, free consumer workshops, Da Poetz Corner and entertainment on exhibit hall main stage. Children 12 years and under are Free. Children 13 years and above will pay $10.00 per day at the door."




Also, for those of you who like the musical artist N'Dambi, she will be there to perform on Saturday evening and to personally sign copies of her CD "Pink Elephant.,


Will you be there? Would love to meet you...

HAPPY MONDAY!!

Good Morning Beautifuls!

I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend. Today's good news is a quote that I've found especially timely.

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."
~Steve Jobs

Have an awesome day!

Who is Steve Jobs?....
Steve Jobs is the co-founder of Apple Computers.

HAPPY 1ST DAY OF SPRING!!

To Life,
To Love,
To Spring
!
~Gwen Suesse

Have a wonderful day/weekend!

It's Been A Great Week

Both Dave and I are thrilled that our ebooks are now live at the Amazon Kindle Store. The best part of all, however, is that we have SALES!!!! What a rush! I know that it's not the same as getting a contract from a big fancy NY publisher, but our goal has always been to write what we love and get it out there so others could enjoy it too!

Well, we accomplished our goals and we are happy. Now it's back to work on our next book. We still can't decide which one to write yet. We have 3 novels started at the moment. We'll just have to see how the mood strikes us.

Thank you to our fans who have been reading our first book over on our author pages, Otharia.com. If you want to see what happens to Darius and Dyla, you can find the link to download "The Crystal Facade" in the right sidebar of the blog. You won't be disappointed.

Our Ebooks are live

Dave and I are happy to report that both "Quest for Nobility," Book 1 in the Rule of Otharia series and "The Crystal Facade", Book 2 in the same series are now live on Amazon. They are available to buy for $1.99. There's only a few days left to read Book 1 over on our author pages, Otharia.com, because we will be taking down all the chapters except for Chapter 1.

For our fans who have followed the Telkur twins' journey in book 1, now's your chance to find out what happens to Darius and Dyla, and their incredible friend Eclair in the aftermath of their Grand Council testimony.

You can find the links and buy the books here:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003CC1KI4

and http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003CC1KK2

DARCY'S BOTANICALS EXPERIENCE

Hola Gorgeous Ones!

Today I’m writing about my experience with a few Darcy Botanicals products. I’d been eyeballing this line for awhile. But before I get into that, I just have to share that I used Coconut milk instead of water in my ayurvedic mix (same as last week).

I really like it and will continue to use this in my mixes. But get this! I had no idea that coconut milk was solid. I expected it to be a liquid. Who knew?!... Guess I didn’t. Lol.

Onto my experience with Darcy’s Botanicals. If you didn’t know this is a natural and organic line for naturally curly hair and skin. I purchased the Deep Conditioning Mask, Madagascar Vanilla Styling Crème and the Herbal Leave-In Spritz.

Herbal Leave-In Spritz (purchased before the other products)
Ingredients: Botanical infusion of Distilled Water, Organic Nettle, Organic Peppermint leaves, Organic Burdock Root, Organic Horsetail, Organic Marshmallow Root, Organic Coltsfoot, Organic Sage, Organic Hibiscus Flowers, Organic Kelp, Organic Sea Moss, Vegetable Glycerin, Organic Aloe Juice, Sea Salt, Polysorbate 20, Litsea Cubeba, Tangerine, Patchouli, Sweet Orange, and a paraben free preservative.

As I looked at her site, I see that she has slightly changed this product and added peppermint and tea tree oils. Sweet. It’s now called “Herbal Tea Leave-In Conditioning Spritz”.

The scent is definitely herbal. Its very light and refreshing to smell. I’m good with herbal scents. Especially this one because it’s not overbearing. If it’s not your thing you may want to keep this in mind.

The description on the bottle states that it will “instantly moisturize, condition & soften your luscious locs, waves and coils”. Check. It was great for moisturizing my hair. After a workout, I simply spritzed my hair and then retwisted it and added a little of the styling crème. It was back to soft and moist in the morning.

The directions say that you can spritz “onto wet or dry hair to refresh, condition, detangle & moisturize your lovely tresses”. I pretty much got all of that except for the detangling aspect. It just did not do that for my hair. But otherwise, it is a great refresher and moisturizer. Loves that about it.

Deep Conditioning Mask Moisturizing Hair Mask
Here are the ingredients: Distilled Water, Lavender Water, Vegetable Glycerin, BTMS ( a mild emulsifying conditioner), Manketti Oil, Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Marula Oil, Cocoa Butter, & Shea Butter, Panthenol, Yarrow, Sage, Nettle & Lavender Extracts, Bentonite Clay, Organic Kelp, Hydrolyzed Oats, Guar Gum, Ylang Ylang, Sweet Orange, Vanilla, & Patchouli Essential Oils and a paraben-free preservative.

Its consistency is like a very light crème. Almost lotion-like so it went on my hair very well. I actually felt that this product has more detangling properties than the spritz.

The scent, I can’t quite put my finger on. But it is very faint.
I enjoyed using this product. Loved the fact that I could detangle my hair and that it is moisturizing. It’s definitely on my good list.

Madagascar Vanilla Styling Crème Natural Hair Butter Crème
Ingredients: Organic Palm Oil, Organic Aloe Vera, Organic Madagascar Vanilla, Vegetable Emulsifying Wax, Candelilla Wax, Organic Castor Oil, Rice Bran Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil and Potassium Sorbate.

This is a pretty thick butter crème which I found to be a great styler and great for moisture. The directions say to “rub a small amount between the palms of your hands and apply throughout dry or damp hair.” I used it both times on damp hair. It also states, “A little goes a long way”. I second that. The first time I used it I kept this in mind. The second time around, I totally forgot and was my usual heavy-handed self. Oh my!! I’m a little greasy right now but after spraying my hair with the leave-in and letting it set over night, I think I should be okay. So just so you know, follow the directions. This is a great attribute for a product to have. I believe it gives you more bang for your buck since you’re not using the product up as quickly. And we all love anything that is “recession friendly”.
The scent is a faint vanilla. Definitely not a slap-you-in-the-face scent.

I am definitely likin’ this butter crème. It defines my twists quite well and keeps them free of the frizzies. On top of which, I’ve gotten plenty of compliments on my hair since using this product. It’s on my list for possible repurchase.

I’m really happy that I went on and purchased these products. I had heard plenty about this line, and what I purchased definitely delivered. I’m sure I’ll be revisiting her store in the future.

You can find Darcy’s Botanicals where she also sells bath and body products at Darcy's Botanicals.com and on Etsy.com.

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE OF THE MOMENT

Some pursue happiness, others create it.
~Author Unknown

I am creating my happiness by staying in a state of gratitude.
How will you create your happiness today?...

Have an awesome day!

BEATRİX& MAXİMA

11 March:Queen Beatrix and Princess Maxima attended the start of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam

DANİSH ROYAL FAMİLY

Part 2:Danish TV series "The Monarchy Inside ''
video:http://www.dr.dk/DR1/Dokumentar/2010/Kongehuset_indefra/20100218134219.htm

The Meaning of Hell

I'm sure that many of you have seen this before, but it's just too good not to pass along again.

The following is an question given on a University of Washington chemistry midterm.

The answer by one student was so 'profound' that the professor felt compelled to share it with colleagues. Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following.

Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?

Student's answer: First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today.

Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.

This gives two possibilities:

1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.
2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.

So which is it?

If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, 'It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you,' and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct.......leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting 'Oh my God.'

THIS STUDENT RECEIVED AN A+.

ROYAL NEWS

Queen Beatrix meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at Huis ten Bosch castle in The Hague

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited Wyvern Barracks in Exete10 March:Queen Sofia meeting with Cyprus´s President Demetris Christofias in the island's capital NicosiaQueen Sofia attended the opening of the exhibition 'Miro of Majorca' at the Municipal Art Centre in Nicosia

10 March:Prince Felipe meeting with Chile's President-elect Sebastian Pinera in Santiago11 March:Prince Felipe meeting with Chilean President, Michelle Bachelet at La Moneda Palace in Santiago de Chile

photos(terra es, zimbio:getty images ,reuters)

PRİNCESS MAXİMA

10 March:Princess Maxima attended the poppodium P60, the start of the campaign of money matters by Centiq in Amstelveen

AGAPE NUTRITION BARS... YUMMMM.

Hi Gorgeous!

Had to share with you about some wonderful treats I that had the opportunity to enjoy. I actually had the pleasure of meeting Carolyn Akens in person. Such a beautiful person.

She gifted me with some of her Agape Nutrition Bars for my birthday. {{Hugs}}
The ingredients of her bars are all uncooked and unprocessed, gluten-free, dairy-free and sugar-free. Absolutely good for you and very tasty. Yummmm.
They come in Cranberry Orange, Blueberry Ginger (loves that ginger) and Apple Cobbler flavors. All of which are so delicious.

My fav bar is the Cranberry Orange. OMG!! When I opened the package, the scent took me back to the days of orange creamsicle’s. Even three days later, I could still smell the scent on the packaging. Even as I sit here and type this up I can still smell “orange creamsicle” on the packaging. And to answer the question that I’m sure is in your mind. Yes, I did. It smells soooooo delicious that I had to hold on to the packaging. Don't judge me. Lol. I do love my citrus scents.

For a clean, healthy and nutritious snack or breakfast-on-the-go, you can order Agape bars at AgapeNutritionBars.com & Foodoro.com.

QUEEN MARGRETHE

Queen Margrethe celebrate program for 70th birthday

Wednesday 24 March
pm.15:00 The Queen is present at the exhibition opening of "Queen Margrethe and archeology" on Moesgaard Museum in Aarhus. The exhibition paints a picture of the queen as a committed archaeologist and focused on specific occurred which have had the Queen attention.

Wednesday 7th april
pm. 15:00: The Queen opens the exhibition "Queen Margrethe II - A life-work" - on Queen's own art from childhood to today Skovgaard Museum in Viborg. The exhibition includes the Queen's own works from the early children's drawings of the latest paintings
Thursday 8 april
pm. 11:00: Royal Couple and Crown Prince Couple participates in opening of the exhibition "Margaret 2nd" at Amalienborg Museum. Through a focus on key events thematizes exhibition of pictures and objects of the Queen's life through 70 years.
Friday 9 april
pm. 15:00 :Royal Couple and Crown Prince Couple is present at the opening of the exhibition "The Queen of Denmark" at Frederiksborg Museum. The exhibition portrays the Queen's life officially as private and chains her life story with events in the history of Denmark.
Tuesday 13th april
pm. 19:30: Banquet Dinner at Christiansborg Palace on the occasion of the Queen's 70th birthday. Entertainment at the TV station TV2.
Thursday 15th april
pm. 20:00 Gala at the Royal. Theater.
Friday 16 th april
Queen's 70th birthday
pm. 12:00 :The Queen and the royal family appears on the balcony at Amalienborg.
pm. 12:40 :The royal couple ride in a carriage from Amalienborg to Copenhagen City Hall.
pm. 13:00 :Reception and lunch reception at Copenhagen City Hall.
pm. 20:00: Dinner at Fredensborg Palace for private friends.
Gratulationslister will be presented at the gate in the Yellow Palace, Amaliegade 18, 16 April in the period 10.00-14.00. Any greetings and gifts can also be delivered in the gate.

information:http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=da&tl=en&u=http://kongehuset.dk/publish.php%3Fid%3D23941

MARY & FREDERİK

9 March:Princess Mary and Prince Frederik visited the Supreme Court in Copenhagen
Princess Mary and Prince Frederik attended the opening of an exhibition in Koege
photos(msn dk)