"Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity" - Swami Vivekananda

December 10, 2008

"Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity" - Swami Vivekananda

I hope you are enjoying this holiday season. Here's our tree. We went with red and gold this year and I really love it, I love the red poinsettias and the gold garland. We have some lovely glass gold and red balls hanging on the tree. It looks rich and lush to me and it makes me happy!

Tom seems to like it too!

I've had a hard time getting my blogging mojo back. Seems I'd have no problem with having so much time available now. I was thinking why it's been hard to keep up and I could go thru a whole slew of excuses, but really it's not important why. I had an email from a dear friend who said she looked forward to reading my blog. Surprised me, pleasantly and I'd like to post more. It's a creative outlet for me and so I should really try to do it more often.

I am hosting a holiday postcard swap and there are 22 people involved in it. I am making my postcards and I'm heading for a deadline, so I hope to get them done today.

Yesterday I made a batch of peanut brittle, so that means that it is truly Christmas time for our family. It came out well, it's one of those recipes that once you know what you are doing, it's fail proof.

I have been feeling so so. I've been drinking tea of feverfew every day to try to combat my headaches and migraines and I do think it is helping. I've had some sinus headaches, but I haven't had a migraine lately. I'm still going to acupuncture and that is continuing to help my overall health. I've also lost 30 lbs. now and I'm really happy about that.

I still haven't finished my alpaca February Lady Sweater. I need to finish knitting the arms and then weave ends in and do the buttons. I started a pair of socks but ran into a problem and had to frog and there it sits.

Just do it...please.

November 22, 2008

Just do it...please.

Please click the eggs for me, I'm trying to figure out this stupid game... Just click, you don't have to do anything else, don't have to sign up, none of that. Thank you!



I have been going to a Chinese Doctor and acupuncturist for almost a month now and I am really amazed at how much my health has improved. Today I went and it's kind of interesting how she does it. She takes your pulse and looks at your tongue. My tongue shows that I have a cold. I asked if she meant cold like temperature or sick cold, she said, no like kid sick. My pulse is weak and deep and I have a pale tongue and purple on the bottom. Then she put the acupuncture needles on my ankles, toes, legs, belly, hands and arms. Then I get to relax in almost darkness. It's hard to not fall asleep. She comes in after 15 minutes and adjusts the needles. Oh, she also puts a heat lamp over me which feels nice. Then I turn over and she put needles on my ankles, legs, low back and up my spine. It was kind of funny, because one of the back needles sent like a surge of energy, and a little pain and i kicked my leg up. That never happened before. Then after a half hour she removed those needles and gave me a small massage and I was good to go.

I have more energy. I feel rested in the morning. I can ride in the car without the deep back/butt pain. I can get up off a chair without help. My tummy issues have all but disappeared. And...I'm losing weight. I've lost about 3-4 lbs. since I've started seeing her. I'm so happy.

Between seeing my Ayurveda practitioner and the Chinese Dr. I'm good.

I have gotten lots of stash and also some spinning fiber, but I'm too lazy to take pics right now. I'll do it soon. Oh, and I have some highlighting to do of a jewelry maker that I just love.

Off to bed for me. Good night.

"My intent is to reach a critical mass of people with the message of personal and social transformation." - Deepak Chopra

October 7, 2008

"My intent is to reach a critical mass of people with the message of personal and social transformation." - Deepak Chopra

One of my new favorite sites is The Chopra Center. There is so much great information available. My dream is to someday go to one of his retreats. I'm reading his book right now, Perfect Health, and it's very interesting. It's got so much great information and is a great introduction to Ayurveda. I love it because the more I find out about Ayurveda, the more I like it. It's a natural way of life and it makes so much sense to go back to nature.

Today we went to the funeral of my cousin's MIL. Her husband's Mom and she was a nice lady and I really like her son, my cousin's husband. She was laid to rest in the beautiful rocky hills of Apple Valley, it was a nice service. I've never seen this before but part of the service was the letting go of white doves while they had the song Wings Beneath Your Wings playing. The grandchildren all had doves and let them go. It was really beautiful and symbolic. And my Mamacita, she had to ask after the services if the doves would be OK or what? She was thanked for asking because they are homing pigeons or doves and would return to their home and she appreciated that someone cared about that. She also said that her husband told her that if no one asked that question, that she had to buy him a steak dinner, and now she did not need to do that!

It was nice to see family I haven't seen in a while, but too bad it had to be for a sad occasion.

"No one can criticize me without my permission." -- Eleanor Roosevelt

October 6, 2008

"No one can criticize me without my permission." -- Eleanor Roosevelt

I've totally lost my blogging mojo but have made a personal goal to blog every day this week, starting today.

Things here at home have been so so. My brother has been really acting up and it puts a lot of pressure on us. He got a good talking to this weekend by Mamacita so we'll see if it improves.

Loved that we had clouds and thunder and rain and drizzle most of Saturday. It was suddenly feeling like Autumn although today we're getting hotter temps again and for most of the week it'll be hot, even in the 90's. Oh well. The cooler temps will be here soon enough.

We went to an adult bday party at the bowling alley on Saturday evening and it was a lot of fun! I bowled 2 games and my first ball was a strike! Surprised. I did OK the first game, bowling a 133 but I got really tired the second game and totally sucked and bowled a 75! It was a lot of fun though.
Tonight I'm going to watch the Viking game against the Saints. Go Vikings!!
I've finished the February Lady Sweater in a pretty Cascade 220 green heather yarn called Irelande, which I just love. Finally, a sweater that I will actually wear! I had almost a whole skein left over, so I made my own design for a February Lady hat. Whatcha think?

I may even get some wear out of the hat!

I started dating someone, we only saw each other twice, he seemed so into me, but he's stopped calling. Not sure why, but whatever. I'm not really upset about it, so I guess I wasn't that into him.

My health seems to be improving, my stomach troubles are not such an issue, thank goodness. I've been taking ayurvedic supplements and they really seem to have helped. Maybe I can go without them now and see if the changes are lasting.

And as things are improving, the headaches are better too, but I got a horrible one yesterday and ended up in bed. I think it was the beer at the bowling party. Beer is suppose to be healthier for me right now, but I don't think it agreed with me at all.

I'm going to a funeral tomorrow, my cousin's MIL passed away. She had a battle with diabetes and just recently had a stroke. The family unfortunately is already arguing about "stuff" which I feel bad about. So I'm off to make an orzo salad and a shrimp mold for the reception tomorrow. Have a great day!

Wordless Wednesday, etc.

August 20, 2008

Wordless Wednesday, etc.

Wouldn't you like to be that comfortable? I would, I'd love to find that perfect spot to lie down on, and lose myself to restful sleep and not have a care in the world. I've always said I'd like to be reincarnated into a pampered cat. Pampered meaning that I wouldn't have to deal with the elements, wouldn't have to hunt for food, would have a soft comfy bed in the morning sunlight and have my food bowl constantly filled, eat whenever I wanted to.

So I obviously haven't gotten back to my old blogging self, but perhaps I've improved a little in the last couple weeks. Still, I blame plurk.com, it sucks time away from me, but is fun, it's very interactive and I like communicating that way. I'm mitchypoo on plurk if you'd like to friend me.

I've got a new pen pal thru the Plurkette Hencircle and have a received a lovely, long letter from her. She's from the UK, on the coast and is quite interesting. I'm enjoying getting to know her. Hi Peri, if you are reading!

My tummy issues have continued and I'm doing what I can to try to heal myself. Well, I'm working with Eleni, my ayurveda practitioner, I'm not doing it all on my own. My diet is really good and I'm really enjoying it too. I'm limiting my wheat to see if that helps. I'm listening to my body as far as hunger goes and that is working for me.

And amazing things are happening, such as because I'm eating so well, my headaches are improving, and I'm not so lethargic. I'm enjoying the changes and trying to just keep it up, it's a change and I want it to become a habit, a daily routine. I'm also taking some herbs before and after meals and we'll see how that goes. The one herb mixture is not in capsules and I'm suppose to put it in some warm water and drink and I'm sorry but it's just NASTY! It has fennel in it, and I don't like the anise flavor, and it's gritty, oh, i may have to go buy some capsules. It's new too, so I'll continue and work it out somehow.

I've lost 25 lbs. total and tonight is weigh in and I'm hoping I've lost more, we'll see. We don't have a scale at home that works, so weigh in is it, so I have to judge by how I feel and right now, I feel like it could go either way. Be optimistic. Right? I think I've lost, and I want to see a loss, but truly even if I have gained, I feel better and that's more important.

It is okay to make noise. I express myself freely and joyously.

May 7, 2008

It is okay to make noise. I express myself freely and joyously.

Mamacita, Julie and I went to an Ayurvedic Workshop last night at a yoga studio. We weren't sure what to expect. None of us are into yoga right now but I would like to be someday. I know that I have to make exercise or movement of some type part of my day because of my general health but also because it would enhance my weight loss. So I've been contemplating taking some private yoga classes and I discussed this yesterday with the yoga instructor. She and another person who turned out to be her teacher suggested that that would be a great way to start. It's really embarrassing and awful to feel so limited sometimes. I just could not face going to a yoga class with others who are skinny and nimble and adept at yoga and trying to fit in. I knew I'd feel like a huge albatross fish out of water! So Mamacita and I may take a few classes together.

I've drug my poor Mamacita to a yoga class before. Several years ago and we can only laugh about it now, but at the time it wasn't so funny I guess. Let's just say that the beginning class was not exactly for beginners! But we tried! So the fact that I can get her to try again, well I give her credit for doing it.

So this studio is quite small and there were no chairs for us to sit and I just knew that I could not sit on the floor for 1.5 hours nor could Julie and Mamacita, so we got their early and planted our tushies on the only bench in the room with just enough room for our arses. It was not exactly comfortable but we did OK.

The Ayurvedic teacher was delightful. I loved her. She's from Australia but married to an American now and I was riveted by the basics of Ayurveda. And came to find out that I do some ayurveda things already without knowing it but haven't done them in awhile. Tongue scraping is one thing that helps get rid of toxins and helps your mouth health, I've done it in the past, but have to start again. Another is using a neti pot. And when she mentioned it, it hit me and I felt like an idiot. Here I am using a cortisone inhaler, nose spray, Zyrtec and another inhaler for allergies, etc. and I never thought of using my neti pot. I mean, duh! I'm the one who tells everyone else who suffers with any ailment above the shoulders that they should try a neti pot, but when I suffer, I didn't even think of it. Well I'll start that again too. We also learned about doshas, and how ayurveda treats the body, not disease. We learned about oil massage which I'm definitely going to start, once I find a good massage oil. You oil your body using massage to put it on your whole body, and then you let it sit and soak in, massage in again and then you shower and rinse it off. The teacher said she hasn't used soap on her skin for years. She talked about how good food and certain foods can help balance whatever ails you.

So now I'm trying to find out more information on Ayurveda. What I'd really like to do is start being treated by this teacher but it's initially some big money (for me), totally worth it I am sure, I mean if we should splurge on anything it should be ourselves and our health, so I'll see if I can save up for it. In the meantime I'll try to do other small changes.