4.30.2011

30 days of smiles: Day 22!

Happy Beltane! In honor of the great fertility holiday, we had a spontaneous backyard celebration. We enjoyed wine, tortilla pizza & May Day stories by the fire. 


Baz took a long afternoon nap and was surprised to wake up to a blazing fire. He stared at the fire for a some time and entertained us with his dreams, thoughts & songs.


Funny how mesmerizing fire is... 


I've been feeling some "stuck-ness" lately and I think that tonight was a bit of a healing balm for my soul. When it became too cold for Baz & Benjamin to be outside, I lingered awhile and gave what has been holding me back to that fire. Feeling lighter already & very much looking forward to the blossoming to come. 

4.29.2011

30 days of smiles: Day 21!

...Another song that I have been playing over and over. I sure do wish youtube came with a repeat button. This chant fills me to the brim with peace & calm. 

  

This mantra translates as "Sun, Moon, Earth, Infinity, Totality of Experience, I am Thou." For further reading on this chant, check this

30 days of smiles: day 20!

Kids really do say the funniest things... Tonight Baz was playing with his cars and attracted the attention of our cat. Suddenly, he became very upset. He came over to me and said, "Mama. Krishna is trying to play with me and I DON'T LIKE IT. I don't like it because I AM NOT A TOY!" :)

4.27.2011

30 days of smiles: Day 19!

A blast from the past: The Transformation Game


Arrived today by mail from a dear friend. When I visited her last, I mistakenly & completely accidentally ordered this game on her account (blame it on the alcohol!). Whoops! So, I am paying for it and keeping it. And thank goodness, really. The insights that come with this game are hard to come by. Ben is at work, Baz is in bed & I completed my first solo game in under 30 minutes. Who wants to play?!?

30 days of smiles: Day 18!

Okay, I'm playing "catch up" on 30 days of smiles. This was yesterday (Tuesday!). 

Ben arrived home from work very early! I took the opportunity to get out of the house for some decompression time. Took myself to lunch at The Woodsman in Philomath. It's a funny little restaurant chock full of local history. It's a thai restaurant/american food pub. They have the BEST fresh spring rolls with peanut sauce. I had been craving them like crazy, so I finally gave in. Heads up: The house made coconut ice cream is divine! 


Also? A little thrift store shopping. 2 Pashminas and a yoga book later and I was blissed. 


Thanks again BenBen! You're a rockstar husband.  

4.26.2011

30 days of smiles: Day 17!

Give this beauty a listen...

   

I've had this on repeat for the last 2 days. I'm claiming it as a mantra & infusing myself with the simple truth of it. Also, it seems fitting to begin singing this to Baz every night at bedtime.

4.25.2011

30 days of smiles: Day 17!

Happy Easter!


Baz awakened to the great surprise of Easter gifts & treats! That crafty bunny used a shiny new Tonka truck as a basket!


So, naturally, he dumped out the goodies and filled his truck with cars. ;) 


He then broke open his eggs to discover the treasures inside. There was some candy to be found & coins! Daddy brought out Baz's piggy bank for filling.


A mama tradition: Eat one bite of the chocolate bunny. Ears first! 


We usually limit sugar intake, so it was quite the treat to eat chocolate and peeps for breakfast (not to worry! He ate 'growing food', too).


The rest of the day looked a lot like the above two pix; lots of treats in the face. We spent some time at a gathering with new friends that we met at the local Co-op. Baz was thrilled to have kiddos his age to play with. We had a great time!


When the first sugar crash melt down hit we gathered him into the car for a short nap and a trip to our good friends' house. We enjoyed a fabulous mexican feast with some of our fave people on the planet, great conversation & a birthday celebration (Happy Birthday, Corie/Abbie/Kevin!) There was at least one more sugar spin out in there somewhere... but I guess that's part of the holiday. We had so much fun that we forgot to take more pictures (as usual! Oops!). All in all, we had a fantastic day. Hoping your day was filled with as much love, light, comfort, indulgence & as many blessings & smiles as ours! 


The Yums: Bright Blessings Lemonade!

Over the last few days I have hashed out this recipe and tweaked it into what I believe to be lemony-perfection. Make a batch and do tell what you think! :) 

-6 large lemons or 1 3/4 Cups lemon juice
1 Cup turbinado/pure, unbleached cane sugar
4.5 Cups sparkling water (that's one 33.8 fl oz container of Pellegrino!!) 
1 TBSP orange blossom water


Juice lemons. Add sugar and lemon juice in saucepan and stir over med-high heat until sugar is fully dissolved (about 5 minutes). Pour lemon/sugar mixture into a large container (I used glass) and add pellegrino. Finish off with 1 TBSP orange flower water. Mix well and enjoy! May you be filled with the light of the season and allow yourself to S H I N E!

*I'm thinking of substituting the orange blossom water with rose flower water in the summer... perhaps lavender? Yum!

4.23.2011

30 days of smiles: Day 16!





We hope your Easter weekend is as colorful as ours! :) 

4.22.2011

30 days of smiles: Day 15!

Halfway through 30 days of smiles and the sunshine continues! It is finally dry enough to take advantage of last year's birthday gift! I love my Vibram Five Fingers!


Seriously, LOVE. Last year I was experiencing some truly awful ongoing foot pain from a little accidental foot rolling incident a few years back. These shoes helped to build up the muscles in my arches and strengthen my feet and the pain greatly decreased. I packed them away for the wet months and some of that pain has returned (thank you very much, Crocs!). I am blissed to get my feet back into shape and to, once again, achieve pain-free feet! 

4.21.2011

30 days of smiles: Day 14!

SUNSHINE IN OREGON! Say whaaaat? I had to take advantage of the beauty and get out for a walk, so I strapped Baz in the stroller and headed off. One of my fave routes takes me down a pathway toward Corvallis and has the most beautiful views. I am so enamored with these fields; especially on days like today. 



Natural delights are everywhere around here, often in the most unexpected places. This duck was enjoying a bath just a few feet from me in a roadside ditch.


Coming home? Just as lovely! Little pockets of forest line the trail. I can't get enough of the shadows cast by the trees. I traipsed around awhile in search of the elusive Trillium flower. No luck! I'm going to have to find my way deeper into the forest to meet that goal. Perhaps this weekend.


I just realized that what touched me most about this hour long adventure was that my sweet, little one still falls asleep in the stroller at the age of 3. Heck, I'm just happy he'll still ride in the stroller! When we came home and he woke up, Baz told me that he "very much enjoyed the walk. It's too bad it was so short." HA! Little dreamer.


Looking fondly forward to so much time outside this Spring & Summer. 

30 days of smiles: Day 13!

Throughout the day, on my Facebook feed, people were posting 'Happy 420!'. Well, we didn't smoke any grass... but I did have the pleasure of watching Benjamin mow some. 


It's funny. I have been the prime household mower of lawns since Ben and I have had lawns to mow. Ben has done the duty a few times over the years, but I have always liked having an outside job that was all my own. A couple of weeks ago the first tall grass of the season was just screaming to be taken care of. Our mower was out of gas and I was determined. Enter push mower. Front lawn, back & 2 side yards totaled over 2 hours of mowing! It *was* great exercise, but not the kind I prefer. I didn't mind, though. I felt accomplished and was happy to have tidy yards to surprise Ben with after his long day at work. Shame on me, apparently. Ben went into this crazy rant about how mowing the lawn is his job... he's the man, yadda yadda yadda. Woah there. I couldn't believe my ears. At first I thought he was just joking with me. I think he was sort of half joking, honestly. So I gave in. I told him to have at it... but I plan to get my mowing fix in at least every so often. Sitting on the sidelines and enjoying an icy beverage suits me just as well. ;)

4.19.2011

30 days of smiles: Day 12!

The lemons were getting kind of pucker-y and looking like they needed to be dealt with. What to do? L-E-M-O-N-A-D-E, of course! 


The sun is out for the 2nd day in a row & I am feeling *much* better. We spent some time this morning in the garden moving plants around and readying a plot for veggies. Lemonade seemed like a great way to quench that post gardening thirst.


Little Baz was delighted by the ice as much as the lemonade. ;)

30 days of smiles: Day 11!

Day 11 was kind of an evil day. I woke up to discover that I could not roll out of bed, could not move my neck or left arm without intense pain & that I could not for the life of me stop crying. I've been eating lots and lots of veggies and green smoothies & seem to be detoxing like mad. I asked Ben to massage me the night before, to help the process along, and he was SUPER rough. And so, day 11 was spent flat on my back. In the afternoon I was feeling particularly cooped up (because, wouldn't you know: it was the first sunny day in something like 2 weeks and I was stuck inside!) and ventured outside for a few moments of fresh air. I just happened upon this sweet little dandelion growing up through a crack in the patio. 


I figured, if that little flower could find a way to grow in such a funky little spot, I surely could muster up some energy and get off my arse to clean out that closest that we are always complaining about. What a horrible idea! I mean, the closet looks great, but I overdid it and paid with more time laid up. The lesson? Listen to your body! When it tells us to stop and rest, it means business! Okay, okay... lesson learned. But did I mention how great the closet looks? ;)

4.17.2011

30 days of smiles: Day 10!

We drove on over to the local Grange Hall for a pancake breakfast (OMG! Warm strawberry-rhubarb compote atop (locally grown oat) cakes! Yum-O.). We were happily surprised to meet up with a friend of Baz's and his mama and to eat with them and get to know them a bit better. The kids danced to the musical offerings of the bluegrass band and we made some tentative plans to get together soon. Ben checked into membership and we are very much lured in by the sweet community, which is offering yoga a couple of times monthly and will be hosting family movie nights throughout the summer. Overall,  it was just so refreshing to tap into a bit of the liveliness of this community. We can't wait to find our places here and to sink down some roots.


After breakfast, we did some food shopping and then took the long way home. More like, we took the amazingly picturesque way home. Here is a visual taste (ala hipstamatic) of what lies just a few blocks out from our neighborhood. Marys peak is hiding under a cloud, straight ahead. 


Another freakishly nice day. Looking forward to 3-4 days of sunshine this week! 

4.16.2011

30 days of smiles: Day 9!

Hooray for sleeping in! 



Lazing around on a Saturday morn (& husband's day off!!) until close to noon is almost unheard of in this house that the preschooler rules. The trick? Set him up with breakfast and one of his fave movies. ;) 

4.15.2011

30 days of smiles: Day 8!

After a long day of housework & child wrangling, it doesn't get much better than this: 



My fave chocolate (no, I did not eat that entire bar in one sitting!), a decent brew & a little light to calm and center = bliss

4.14.2011

30 days of smiles: Day 7!

I have a love-hate relationship with making my bed. I'm cleanly and all that, so I change my sheets every other week and after any illness. What I'm talking about is that internal dilemma that comes up each day when I am greeted with the opportunity to pull back the sheet & smooth out the comforter. On the one hand, I *LOVE* the feel of my bedroom when the bed has been tidied, luxury items organized, fresh flowers placed upon the dresser/altar & a good spritz of aromatherapy is left to linger & refresh. On the other hand, I find it much easier to crawl back into an already disheveled bed! Perhaps I ought to freshen up the room and leave the bed as is after a good rest? I dunno... 

What I DO know is that those pillows have been inviting me to do more than rest my head lately. In fact, I find myself wanting nothing more than to wrap one around my face and scream my sweet head off. The very idea of this tickles me to no end. Honestly! What kind of crazy person walks around fantasizing about yelling into her pillows? ::raising my hand:: Ayep, that'd be me. I'd scream into the air for release if I didn't think I'd scare the poopsies out of my child or find myself in a white padded room in the morning. And what is wrong with wanting to scream, anyway? I do my breathing exercises. I listen to and chant along with sacred musicians on a daily basis. I cry more than most people would admit to... but sometimes, there is that welling up that just needs to GET OUT! And sometimes I just can't cry (in my house we call this 'eye constipation'). Sometimes, I don't even have a reason to... I just want to feel it so purely... to linger in my aliveness. 


This brings me to my homework of the day: I'm working myself up to screaming into that pillow on the right. Heck, I may even scream into all three. Slobber may be involved. I'm not scared. I'm ready. Ready to unleash whatever has been bottled up... and at the end of it all, I fully expect to find myself in a ridiculously satisfying giggle fit.

4.13.2011

30 days of smiles: Day 6!

Somehow, I've dropped coffee. Not quite sure how that happened. I didn't intend to stop drinking it, I just sort of stopped wanting it and recently realized that it has been over a month since I indulged in a latte. It *might* have something to do with my rekindled romance with chai... ;) At any rate, I find myself needing a midday pick-me-up and have taken to blending up some sort of green smoothie concoction. It hits the spot, provides instant energy & gives me a fat dose of veg all at once! Today's blend:


1 braeburn apple
1 d'anjou pear
1/2 peeled orange
3 stalks of celery
1 handful of parsley
1/3 of a large bell pepper
about 3 TBSP liquid chlorophyll
8 oz. cranberry-grape juice
20 oz. water

*This makes enough for me, Baz, Ben & one extra (either for Dud or bottled and popped in the fridge as a handy snack for later).

4.12.2011

Looking up?

Back in California, I had a pretty bad ass magical community. Honestly, it was more like several communities that overlapped. I knew it would be near impossible to find that kind of community in Utah but was so happy to find an awesome dance class & a monthly full moon women's dance/potluck (that I am now sorely missing). Newport had more promise, but, alas, it was populated mostly with retirees & vacationers. After all, it's Oregon. All of the earth friendlies live in the forest, dontchaknow? Enter Corvallis. I was betting on magical folk up in here, but it seems that most of those who do not reside in the forest are either in Eugene or Ashland. Dagnabit! Foiled again! I have been diligent in my search, though. Somehow, I just *KNEW* that magic was waiting for me somewhere nearby. Wouldn't you know... I stumbled upon a new group that is meeting about 10 blocks from my house?! Now that is my kind of manifestation magic! I met with them tonight for the first time (their 2nd!) and had a positively fantastic time. It's always so relieving to find people who share like interests and receive you as is. And so, I find myself calmer, energy elevated, hopes renewed & trusting that all really *is* as it should be. Divine plan? Thanks again. Loving you.

The Yums: The Sweet Life muffins!

3/4 Cup soy milk
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 Cups applesauce
2 TBSP sugar
3/4 Cup whole wheat flour
3/4 Cup AP flour
1/4 Cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 Cup raisins
1/4 Cup cranberry raisins (I used orange juice sweetened craisins)
1/4 Cup dried blueberries
*Optional: nuts!

Mix soy milk & apple cider vinegar and let sit a couple of minutes. Add applesauce, soy milk & vanilla to this mixture. In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients until clumps have dissipated. Gently fold liquid mixture into dry and stir until fully mixed. Bake at 350 degrees for 26-30 minutes. Enjoy & share with a friend!

30 days of smiles: Day 5!

My sweet boy sleeps.



Thank the funny lords! This surely has been a beast of a week, if ever there were one. We've dealt with some potty backtracking; going from fully trained to marking many spots on his bedroom carpet. GAH! We exorcised some monsters from bathroom and said bedroom, complete with the burning of sage and harsh voices (to scare those monsters into never returning). We implemented a chart to commemorate each successful journey to the toilet with a prize to be had when the chart is covered with colorful stickers. And today? Oi. Today there was an awful, uncooperative day at preschool in which the little guy had to have more than one time out. The primary teacher is out of town on Thursday and gave me the choice of either not bringing Baz to school that day or to bring him and stay to watch/help out. Apparently there is fear that he will be too much work for the helper teacher and sub because he gets the other kids riled up. Teacher recommended we have some testing done to determine what is going on with Baz. She says he is very smart and that may not be a good thing... Hrrrmmm... She also recommended that we opt for co-operative preschool next season so that I can be more involved in the classroom and provide the one on one interaction that a typical school with 2 teachers to 10+ kids cannot provide.

This all sounds rather negative for a '30 days of smiles' post, no? Nah. I did have some tearful moments after talking with the teacher (Okay, okay... so I bursted into tears in the park and cried all over another mama). Now that those tears are out of the way I think I can focus on the positives coming out of our current challenges.

Co-operative preschool was my original choice. I was dazzled by our current school's nature program, but see that I can supplement his preschool experience with nature based home school curriculum and outdoor adventures. We'll stick it out a bit longer at nature preschool and see what comes of that (Yes, I will attend with him on Thursday and get clear on what is happening in the classroom to better determine his needs), but it looks as though we had better begin looking for alternatives.

The testing? Well, that's not such a bad idea. If nothing else, it will confirm Baz's incredible intelligence. Having moved 3 times since he was born & not making many kiddo connections, I happen to feel strongly that he just wigs out in social situations. It seems that if the teachers cannot focus on him or challenge him he gets bored and turns into the class clown, thereby seeking the attention of his peers & resulting in negative attention from his teachers. Needless to say, we have a lot on our plate. We are learning so much & I am finding my inner fire and creativity through all of this. That is something to be super thankful for! For those of you who may think "Maybe your kid is just a hellion", I'm guessing you've never parented a toddler. It's tough, challenging, heart-wrenching, intense, amazing, beautiful, crazy and sometimes fun... and it is SO worth every freaking moment.

30 days of smiles: Day 4!

A day late, yes, but not a day lost.


Tulips from the yard! Several other shades popping up that will surely make way onto the kitchen table in the coming weeks.

Lemons? Making up batches of the master cleanse and drinking a jar daily. Not currently doing the weight loss program as I find that it makes my system too acidic and I end up with a tummy ache. I do, however, very much enjoy this as a beverage. I mean, really. What's not to love? Lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne?! I do love me some cayenne.

Happiness is: the last home made muffin (for me?!) from a batch made yesterday! That attests to the yumminess of said muffins, right? What made me even happier was being able to give a few away to my sweet friend Chris. Recipe to follow.

4.10.2011

30 days of smiles: Day 3!

I've been working on creating some flower/gem essences/elixers. This is batch 2: grape hyacinth with a 5 quartz blend (intuition quartz, 6 sided point, triangle sacred geometry quartz, pentacle quartz & a herkimer). You can see a couple of the stones peeking through the surface.


This blend is particularly good for releasing irrational and negative thoughts; something I very much find myself needing around now. I love the gentleness and subtlety of essences. A few drops in my water a few times a day seems to be boosting my overall mood.

Now I've got to work on getting a few gifty bottles into the mail! That'll make at least a few folks smile. :)

4.09.2011

30 days of smiles: Day 2!

Today was FILLED with smiles. Ben took Baz for a daddy date: wacky indoor bounce, play time at the park & hot cocoa at the co-op! They dropped me off for a couple of blissful relaxation hours at the local day spa: $20bux gets ya lots of time in the steam sauna, refeshments in the sanctuary lounge, lots and lots of water, a rainfall shower with wonderful products, a DIY facial and best of all, a couple hours of quiet.

We came home and made pizzas together!


Our new bread machine makes a mean focaccia crust! It was so good, in fact, that we will most likely implement a weekly pizza night. Baz was quite pleased with his personal pizza, which he rolled out and put together himself (with a little help from dad).

4.08.2011

30 days of smiles: Day 1!

In an attempt to find myself here with some regularity, I'm committing to 30 days of posts dedicated to something "smile worthy". I like the lack of rules. Truly, what makes me smile may not make anyone else smile... and that's okay. Feeling the need to nurture my inner child... to feed my magic self.

Day 1: I've been collecting rocks. They were calling for words! There are duplicates because some are just calling out to be given away. I want to make people smile. I want to smile. It's that simple.

...Another Foolish Anniversary...

For those of you who don't know, my love and I were married on April Fool's Day, in a tree, because we are all about the whimsy. That was 5 years ago. *5* years! I can still hardly believe it. Our fantastic friends offered to keep Baz for a few hours, so we hit the coast for dinner and alone time. We could have gone the fancy route, but instead went to our comfort spot and found some fancy there. We hit up Rogue on the bay. Started off with a couple of gooooood beers. Ben went for something light... I like 'em darker. Dead Guy Ale! Yum.

We then moved on to burgers. It's a rare treat for me to indulge in a burger, and I don't much eat meat in general, so I figured that we should do it right if we were going to do it at all. Insert Kobe beef burger. Oi, yummmmmm. Trust Ben's face. They were *that* good.

Those few hours were chock full of laughter, relaxation and all around fun. See:

We browsed around the bay front for awhile and Ben treated me with a fabulous giant labradorite ring. We visited our fave candy shop and rounded up some chocolatey truffles to take back for our amazing (kid watching!) friends. As we were heading out of town, Ben remarked how incredible it was that we made it all the way out to the coast and didn't even go to the beach. DOH! Total forehead slapping moment. I absolutely insisted that my toes make contact with sand. They did.


It was freezing! We ran back to the car and warmed up for our ride back to hang out with friends and pick up Baz. What a wonderful treat to get away and enjoy one another for a bit. We are so thankful. Here's to the next 5 years (and the 5 after that... and so on... and on and on and...)!

4.05.2011

The Yums: Sunshine Rice!

splash of olive oil
2 Cups cooked brown rice
1/2 Cup yellow onion, chopped
2 Cups cauliflower
1 orange bell pepper (or red)
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 tsp curry powder
*1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 Cup fresh parsley, chopped
juice of 1 meyer lemon
1 (15 oz can) garbanzo beans
1 TBSP ghee
sea salt to taste


Cook rice (in rice cooker) and set aside. Sautee onions in olive oil. Add cauliflower and enough water to steam while covered. When cauliflower is tender, add bell pepper, tomatoes, curry, turmeric, cumin, parsley & lemon juice. Mix well and let cook on med-high until a gentle boil is reached. Add rice and ghee (stir until ghee covers rice) and let simmer about 3 minutes. Top off with garbanzos and let simmer another 3-5 minutes. Salt to taste and enjoy!

This would be simply divine with the addition of pineapple or craisins (Sweet Sunshine Rice, perhaps?). Cashews, too! Yum.

*Personally, I prefer more turmeric - but I had just 1/4 tsp left in my spice cabinet! For shame. Next time I will most definitely use about 1/2 tsp.