Salt Fork State Park Lodge, Lore City, OH

I spent an amazing weekend at one of the most gorgeous places in Ohio! Salt Fork State Park is close to Cambridge, Ohio. It has a huge resort type lodge, with great 5 star quality rooms, service and food. We were treated like royalty all weekend and got to hike and walk in nature's beauty with lots of wildlife, including deer that walk right up to you and baby fox pups curled up on some rocks by the lake. If you are out in central ohio you need to spend a night in this place. Every room has a balcony with enough room to sit on chairs and eat a picnic or take in the sunrise or sunset, with privacy, as each is fenced off between the rooms.

The rustic beauty of the lodge is breathtaking and the many conference rooms and fireplaces were perfect for the marriage retreat we were attending. Every member of the staff was very caring and courteous and smiled. The food was great and in abundance all the time, every time we had a break, almost every hour or hour and a half, there was a nice spread of food waiting for us.

If you are concious of the earth and going GREEN, they are the place for you, everything is made of recycled materials, to the pens and notepads in the rooms and the cups and wrappers on the food and drinks. If it isn't able to be re-used it is recylable. The soaps and shampoos were even green products. You had glass and ceramic instead of the usual plastic coffee cups and water cups, and knew you were helping the planet by staying there.

The website shows come photos, but you have to go and see it for yourself, the photos don't do it justice!

New Bag

I am a purse woman, I love purses and I have finally gotten myself down to having only two at a time, the really dressy one that stays in a nice bag until it comes out for a one night debut, and my everyday haul-it-all bag. I had been carrying a very large purse, as usual, but my shoulders were suffering and so was my brain as I tried to find things in the cavernous bags. So after seeing my sister's cute little bag from Ariat I looked for mine. I went to 5 stores in two hours and finally ended up in the luggage area at Target. There it was, a little less fashionable, but very shoulder friendly. A hands-free type as well if you know what I mean (it can go across your body and your arms and hands are free to carry other things, or to help you not to fall during hiking, like I did this weekend!). The brand is SwissGear, as in Swiss Army, its considered a day bag or gear bag, for people who are traveling, and who doesn't travel all over creation on a daily basis? Perfect!

It has three compartments, two on the front and one hidden along the side that is the entire width of the back. It has plenty of space and a very nice padded strap that can either go over one shoulder or across your body. The across the body variation is great for hiking, shopping, carrying bags, etc. because it gives you both arms and hands totally free without worrying your bag is going to fall off your shoulder!
My one draw back, I don't like carrying a bag that is on my back, because I am always afraid I will be walking somewhere and a thief will open my bag and take stuff and I won't know! But I am paranoid, so go figure!

Come Check Out My Website!

www.courtneyscaringmassage.com

Garden Veggie Pizza Recipe

Need:
2 cans refrigerated crescent dough sheets, roll out on cookie sheet and bake at 350 until golden, this is your pizza crust
One 16 oz container sour cream
One packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix
1 Cup chopped carrots
1 Cup chopped cauliflower
1 Cup chopped brocolli
1 1/2 cups finely shredded cheddar cheese

Mix Dip mix with sour cream and spread over completely cooled crust. Sprinkle cheese over dip mixture. Sprinkle all chopped veggies over cheese. Regriferate for at least one hour and serve cut into peices. Keep extras in the refrigerator!

My Living Room After Drill Weekend

My living room looks like a command center when Caleb gets home from a weekend of drill with the National Guard!

Massage as a Gift

Have you ever had someone to get a gift for, and had no idea what to get them? Massage is the answer here.

Administrative professionals day is coming up, why not get chair massage in your office for all the admins? Or get them gift certificates for massages.

Mother's Day is coming up and who deserves a massage more than your mom or wife? Get her a massage and keep the kids for a few hours so she can enjoy it fully.

Wedding Anniversaries and Birthdays are also great massage gift times. Soon it will be Wedding and Graduation season, brides and grads are always stressed, massage can remove some of the Zilla from Bridezilla and help the new grad get out of the fetal position caused by finals.

Do you know someone that is retiring? Get them a massage to start thier new chapter in life and remove some of the stress the last 40 years has inflicted.

This is a short list of people you can get a massage for as a gift, massage is the perfect gift for anyone at anytime.

Fruit and Protein Smoothie

I love smoothies more than anything else that goes in my mouth! Here is a recipe for the one I made today:

1 Cup frozen whole Strawberries
1 Cup frozen whole Blueberries
1 Cup frozen chunked Mango
2 Banana Popsicles
2 Cups Berry Mixture Juice
2 small scoops Whey Protien Powder
1 Cup Plain Low Fat Yogurt

Put all this in your blender and set to Highest Speed and blend until all is mixed and smooth, pour and enjoy!

I always have frozen fruit in my freezer and yogurt in the refrigerator. I buy canisters of whey protein in either chocolate or vanilla flavor to add the necessary protien for nutritional purposes. If I don't have protein I will get a bad headache and because fruit has natural sugars so the protien also helps to keep from having a sugar dive later. I hope you enjoy your smoothies!

Spring!!!!

It is 45 degrees and SUNNY! This is probably a teaser but I will take it right now, I am so tired of dreary winter gloom days. The sunshine in the mornings is the best way to start a day. Waking up is easier, which makes it easier to get out of bed and get moving. Sunshine and warmth makes driving so much more fun, especially the stick shift, my little truck is a fun toy on days when it feels like this. For some reason, driving with the windows down and shifting my way onto the highway is an escape from winter's dullness.

Opening the windows for fresh air makes the whole home feel new and clean, even if it isn't and the rays of sun making dust gleam remind you of that. The smell of fresh air flowing through my home makes cleaning less of a chore. Turning the electric lights off and opening the curtains always makes me feel better too.

SPRING, new beginnings popping out of the earth and the start of sinus season and the end of flu season. Throw open the curtains and the windows, even if today is the only day we get to enjoy this way for another month!

I'm Not a Drummer

Drumming up business seems to be a slow game. And I am no drummer. But I am learning to get my business cards out and to get my little marketing goals met. I get creative in spurts and try to get as many ideas down on paper as I can before the fleeting moment passes.

Marketing myself is tough for me, I have never been one to try and get my own attention. And I hate it when there is any kind of "spotlight" on me. So trying to hand out business cards and marketing material that is about me and my business is hard for me to swallow. But I am getting better.

So what I am asking is that if you have any marketing ideas for the self employed Massage Therapist, let me know! Give me "drummer" lessons! I am open to a lot of ideas!