Herb Class

This past summer, I took an herb class through my local high school community education program, Marin Learn.  It was called Herb Exploration and Remedies, taught by a very knowledgeable and gentle spirit, Annabella. She grows most of her own herbs in Fairfax, CA and makes essential oils, flower essences and writes books (Lunafina.com).

Annabella

herb concoction

aromatic leaves

medicinal plants

lamb's ear

we made lavender wands

plantain for tea

strega cordial making

Over 4 classes, we also made a California Poppy tincture, a cordial, mugwort bundles, bathing salt, an herb cooking salt and a lavender infused oil, all to take home.  During each class, we sipped delicious herb tea from very sweet English tea cups that Annabella brought to class.  She also gave each person an herb nickname, and mine was "Mullein" the 'flower of inner light'.  She talked about the medicinal quality of each herb, harvesting, and all the uses for the herbs.

Annabella also leads a "Salon des Plantes" where people meet at various locations around Marin County to 'spend time with the plants'.  I hope to attend one of these gatherings very soon.  I highly recommend taking one of Annabella's classes.  You are sure to learn a lot about herbs and all of their gifts they have for us!

If you go to Annabella's website you can see how to order
some of her flower essences.

Thought for the day from Abraham-Hicks:
Use whatever excuse you can to vibrate in harmony with those things you've been saying you want. And when you do, those things that are a vibrational equivalent flow into your experience in abundance. Not because you deserve it, not because you've earned it, but because it's the natural consequence of the Law of Attraction. That which is like unto itself is drawn. --- Abraham
Excerpted from the workshop in Silver Spring, MD on Saturday, April 19th, 1997

Shell Candles

Over Thanksgiving, I visited my sister who lives in St. Marys, GA, a beautiful coastal town just north of the Florida border.  One day I went with her and her husband on a boat to Cumberland Island.  It's a beautiful maritime forest, with old oak trees covered in Spanish moss, the interior is covered with palms, and the beach, covered with shells.

On our hike from the boat landing, we saw magnificent old trees covered in Spanish moss...

the ground was covered in palms

After a long hike through the forest, we finally reached the beach.

tons of horseshoe crabs...

a rich assortment of shells everywhere!

I brought a small bag of shells home with me, to remember my visit to Cumberland and decided to make shell candles from the clam shells for Christmas presents.

I went to Michaels Arts & Crafts and purchased:
microwaveable soy wax, 2" wicks, & a bag of Spanish moss.

I picked up some unfolded boxes from my favorite local thrift shop, Mt. Carmel Thrift Shop.

I set up newspaper on the table and melted the soy wax in small glass measuring cup, for easier pouring.
Because of the angle of the shells just sitting on the table,
I wasn't able to fill them enough, so set them in small cups to adjust their angle.
Then I placed in the wick and a dash of sparkle.

The wax hardened within an hour. I placed Spanish moss in the box and
 added the shell candles along with a few of the smaller shells I collected.

There they are, all in a row, ready to go! It was a fun and inexpensive holiday project.
My daughter and her boyfriend even got in on the action!

Thought for the day from Abraham-Hicks:
Use whatever excuse you can to vibrate in harmony with those things you've been saying you want. And when you do, those things that are a vibrational equivalent flow into your experience in abundance. Not because you deserve it, not because you've earned it, but because it's the natural consequence of the Law of Attraction. That which is like unto itself is drawn. --- Abraham
Excerpted from the workshop in Silver Spring, MD on Saturday, April 19th, 1997

Kindle Cover

Part of wellness for me is my need to express creativity...

I recently got a Kindle e-reader. The Kindle covers I saw online were not very interesting and seemed expensive, so I decided to make my own.

I had been at my local library book sale (Mill Valley Library Book Sale) and picked up some old books for $.25 a piece. I happened to have one that was the perfect size for my Kindle.

Next, I took a single-edged razor blade and cut out the pages.

this book was dedicated to someone who knew Greek!

this book was published in 1958, 
so the binding tape was old

book lays flat with pages gone

select some type of padding, like bubble wrap,
 or thin foam

I selected a small piece of fabric from my stash, covered the padding and glue-gunned it in.  Then I found some gold tape and glued that in position to hold the Kindle.
_____________________________________________________________________________

* My Kindle is protected in two ways: the actual screen is protected and the Kindle is 'hidden' in a book!  


Thought for the Day from Abraham Hicks: "When you reach for the thought that feels better, the Universe is now responding differently to you because of that effort. And so, the things that follow you get better and better, too. So it gets easier to reach for the thought that feels better, because you are on ever-increasing, improving platforms that feel better."

--- Abraham
Excerpted from the workshop in San Francisco, CA on Saturday, March 11th, 2000

Eat Food by Michael Pollan

I picked up a booklet from the Community Alliance with Family Farmers http:// www.caff.org where they publish information about all the local farmers markets.  On page 3 of the San Francisco Bay Area version, Michael Pollan writes about his thoughts about food, which I really appreciate!!

Food for thought ~

Law of Attraction abounds, and when it is said to you, "Ask, and it is given," there is no more powerful statement that is at the basis of what makes things happen than that. Now, how is it that you think you ask? With your words? The Universe doesn't hear your words. You ask with your desire. The desire that is born out of the contrast. That desire. That wanting. That's what summons the Life Force. --- Abraham
Excerpted from the Abraham Hicks workshop in Seattle, WA on Sunday, June 21st, 1998

Veggie Swap & CSA

So one of the coolest things we have in Mill Valley, CA (as well as in neighboring towns) is a Veggie Swap.  Every summer Sat. morning at the local park (which I can walk to), neighbors bring extra vegetables, fruits, seeds, seedlings and baked goods to swap!  It's so great. It's put together by Marin Open Gardens http://opengardenproject.blogspot.com/ and they also coordinate gleening for when your fruit tree is laden with ripe fruit, people sign up to come help with the harvest.

 It's also great if you get CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and have left over produce you want to swap. I am excited to be getting my first delivery of Betty's Organics tomorrow!  http://www.bettysorganics.com/
The locally grown organic produce arrives in a box (which gets returned for the next shipment). 

We have friends who live in Stinson Beach and their daughter just dropped off an amazing bag of produce they grew and a dozen fresh eggs!!! Look at those Meyer lemons!!! Thanks Barb!!

Food for thought ~ You are meant to live an expansive, exhilarating, good-feeling experience. It was your plan when you made the decision to become focused in your physical body in this time-space reality. You were born knowing that you are a powerful Being; that you are good; that you are the creator of your experience, and that the Law of Attraction (the essence of that which is like unto itself, is drawn) is the basis of the Universe, and you knew it would serve you well. And so it has.
Excerpted from Money and the Law of Attraction, by Abraham Hicks — 3/31/09

Eating 4 Health

Last month I assisted at a free public education forum hosted by CMPC's Institute for Health and Healing.  I heard Ed Bauman, founder of BaumanCollege http://www.baumancollege.com/
(holistic nutrition and culinary arts) speak.   He is a very knowledgeable and entertaining speaker.  He shared a poster based on his philosophy of nutrition and health which I want to share.  Click here to read about it: http://www.baumancollege.com/about/eating-for-health-philosophy.html

Choose fresh, seasonal, chemical-free, nutrient-rich, organic foods.  "The goal of this unique system is to provide optimal amounts of macronutrients (proteins, fats, and carbohydrates), micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), phytonutrients (plant alkaloids with protective value), and other vital factors (enzymes, tastes, energetic properties) that can be most efficiently digested and assimilated."

I LOVE his idea of 4 levels of eating:
1. Eating for pleasure
2. Eating for energy
3. Eating for recovery
4. Eating for health

I know this list is long, but it's helpful in understanding his common sense view of health and eating....

Eating for Health Guidelines

• Increase intake of local, seasonal, fresh, organic foods.
• Drink plenty of purified water each day, about one-half cup (four ounces) every hour. To determine the total amount you need, divide your weight in half and drink that many ounces of water.
• Read labels and avoid foods with artificial ingredients.
• Decrease intake of refined and artificial sugars, white flour products, unnatural fats, added hormones, preservatives, colors, and antibiotics.
• Diversify sources of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.
• Ingest 1 gram of protein per kilogram (2.2 lbs) of normal body weight.
• Eat protein by ten in the morning and 1-3 more times during the day.
• Eat protein to curb sugar cravings.
• Minimize caffeine intake to 50mg or less (1 c. black tea, 3 c. green tea, or ½ c. coffee or espresso).
• Eat more monounsaturated fat (olives, avocados, almonds) than saturated fat (animal, dairy, coconuts) or polyunsaturated oils (soy, corn, sunflower).
• Decrease consumption of glutinous grains (wheat, rye, oats, barley) to prevent digestive disturbance and inflammation.
• Increase consumption of gluten-free grains (rice, corn, millet, quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth), which are mineral rich and easy to digest.
• Increase consumption of leafy (e.g. kale), crunchy (e.g. broccoli) and starchy (e.g. yam) vegetables to provide abundant minerals.
• Eat three portions of vegetables in a meal to 1 serving of protein and 1 serving of fat for pH balance.
• If body temperature is cold, eat more proteins, essential fatty acids, seaweeds, and warming spices such as ginger and cayenne.
• If body temperature is warm, eat more cooling foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and green herbal teas and spices like mint, rosemary, lemongrass, and rooibus.
• Determine a diet direction according to your metabolic tendency: Building if metabolism is fast, Cleansing if metabolism is slow, or Balanced if metabolism is neither fast nor slow.
• Add booster foods to the diet to increase energy, detoxification, and antioxidant activity.
• Undertake a simplified diet or fasting program seasonally, including colon cleansing and increased spiritual practice.
• Enjoy your food and let others eat in peace.

Chia seeds

I was recently at a spiritual retreat and a friend was walking around with a glass of water filled with little black seeds floating around.  When I asked her about it, she said it's chia seeds! She told me that chia seeds are a top source of omega 3's, among other benefits.  I had seen bags of chia seeds in the 'raw' section of the grocery store, but was never sure what to do with them.  Here is a site that lists 10 health benefits to eating chia seeds:

http://www.mychiaseeds.com/Articles/Top10ChiaBenefits.html

So I purchased a bag of organic black chia seeds and stored them in a glass mason jar.


Each morning, I add about 1 teaspoon of seeds to a glass of good quality water and stir.  After a short time, the seeds become a bit gelatinous.  They really don't have much taste, but I like that I am getting omega 3's.  I also add a squeeze of fresh organic lemon juice for natural source of vitamin c.  Lemon is alkaline producing in the body.

 In case you didn't know, we all want to have slightly alkaline bodies.  Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment.  Here is a great resource that explains:
 http://www.rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm.  There are many ways to alkalinize our bodies, not only by what we eat and drink, but by what we think and how we breathe! I took a class to learn more about this.  When we walked in to the class, we were asked to test our pH level.  (we were asked to go to the restroom to urinate on some litmus paper) Then we learned about how some foods are acidic outside of the body, yet are alkaline forming once ingested.  During the class, we drank ionized water and did some deep breathing exercises.  After 2 hours, we measured our pH again, and everyone's pH moved up the scale from some level of acidity toward alkalinity!  Tap water is acidic and is not beneficial.

I will talk more about acid/alkaline diet in a future post.  Meantime, get some chia seeds and enjoy!