10 Clues You Might Be a Doll Addict - Ruby Lane Blog

10 Clues You Might Be a Doll Addict - Ruby Lane Blog: On the Dolls Lane, we live and breathe dolls all day, every day. It’s safe to say that we are doll addicts. If you’ve heard the saying, ‘it takes one to know one,’ let us know if any of these telltale clues apply to you! 1.    You tell your fiancé that you would rather have... Read more »

Healthy Eating

Healthy Living and Eating

 

Personally, I think stress is the deadliest malady of all.  We used to joke at my former job that we didn’t worry too much about future illnesses; our job was going to kill us.  Indeed that’s what happened to some of my work friends, and some of my other friends, too.  Work stress, family stress, care giving stress, financial stress, all deadly.  Take your pick, or should I say, choose your poison.

 

What can we do?

 

My good news is that I’ve been eating and drinking a lot of the things that help, and that are proven cancer fighters.  Heaven knows I’m no doctor, and my friends will tell you I’m not at all enamored of the medical profession, friends and family that are members excluded, of course. Law school probably ingrained that unfortunate attitude in me.  Yet, there is something to using diet to control maladies that plague us.

 

Here are some of the foods and drinks that are good for us, and that by default, maybe, I’ve incorporated into our family’s diet:  avocado, nuts [if you are not allergic], kombucha, wild caught salmon and other seafood, whole grains, oatmeal, broccoli, cauliflower, leafy vegetables and salads including kale, cabbage, lean mean if we eat it, bran sprinkled on everything, probiotics, certain vitamins, strawberries, bananas, berries of all kinds.  Fruits instead of dessert and sugar.

 

We try to stay away from processed foods, and watch the kind of cheese we buy.  We try to stay away from fast food, and I try to count calories and stay away from cookies.  A little dark chocolate is ok.

 

So, it’s a start. We’re all trying.  I admit I feel better cutting down on caffeine, avoiding carbonated drinks, high fructose syrups, red meat, junk food.  Now, if I could only pause the windmills of my mind.

Why We Need Dolls In Our Lives - Ruby Lane Blog

Why We Need Dolls In Our Lives - Ruby Lane Blog: Why We Need Dolls In Our Lives:  No culture has been without dolls. In some societies, the doll figures that remain seem to be more idol or ritual figures, but the same cultures refer to dolls as children’s toys.  They might be very simple compared to their idols or decorative figures, maybe a decorated twig... Read more »

Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: What is writing?

Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: What is writing?: What is writing?   Now that I’ve forsaken all else to write fulltime, I’ve actually had time to think about what I’m doing.    ...

Books and Literary Life; Two Memoirs

Lately, I've been reading Larry McMurtry's memoirs, the two books listed in the title.  He shows us what I've always believed, that reading and writing go hand in hand.  One can't exist without the other.  Here is a quote I found particularly inspiring:


Seeing my books reminds me that in a modest way at least, I'm part of literature and the whole complicated cultural enterprise that is literature.  . . . The commonwealth of literature is complex but a sense of belonging to it is an important feeling for a writer to have and to keep."


From Literary Life.


In talking about his book collection and the books he has amassed for his book stores, he confirms the importance of books themselves.  A Kindle, magical a it is, simply does not give one this feeling of belonging to a community of writers McMurtry calls "immortals."   As he says, "sitting with the immortals doe snot make one an immortal but the knowledge that they're around you on their shelves does contribute something to one's sense of what one ought to try for  (157)" [as a writer].

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Guest Blog on Motiviation and Whole Journey; my Fr...

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Guest Blog on Motiviation and Whole Journey; my Fr...: My name is Mary, I’m 26 years old and a Mom and Wife.   I have two boys, ages 6 and 5. Twin girls, about to turn 2  in one month . T...

Dolls Gotta Have Heart; Raggedy Ann, Legends, and History for Over 100 Years - Ruby Lane Blog

,Raggedy Ann was always one of my favorite dolls. I remember listening carefully, fascinated when my third grade teacher read the stories to us.  I think we made it through all the books. I used to enact them with my own dolls.  Years later, I saw the museum before it closed, and was able to go to the festival.  Now, I have neighbors named Ann and Andy!  My mom made a killer Ann Halloween outfit when I was six!  Love Gruelle and his books!





Dolls Gotta Have Heart; Raggedy Ann, Legends, and History for Over 100 Years - Ruby Lane Blog: Raggedy Ann has been a beloved doll and literary character for over 100 years.  Her face has graced countless story books, coloring books, paper dolls, toys, radios, canned goods, and posters about Diphtheria and Smallpox vaccinations.  Raggedy Ann and her brother, Raggedy Andy, have starred in their own animated films, and Raggedy Ann has flown... Read more »