My new year manifesting

My birthday was Sunday, and I had so many people celebrating with me. My family had a barbeque for me at the lake on Saturday (my request), and my friends threw me a big party that night. It was truly fantastic, I am so blessed with such wonderful people in my life. I can't wait to use the breadmaker several of my friends gave me!

I have a really good feeling about the upcoming year. The past several years have been difficult, to say the least, but this year ... well, I feel a positive change happening. This is going to be a good year for me in all respects: physically, spiritually and financially.

One thing I wanted to do was to start my new year out feeling good, ie., not hungover from imbibing too much at my party, and I was absolutely successful in that. It was great! Other party attendees were feeling a bit less great than me, it was a very good party...

I also spent some time dreaming about things I would like to manifest. Things like a new stove, and not just any new stove, I want my dream stove, which looks something like this:

It will fit perfectly in my 1937 home, which mostly likely housed a similar stove at one point. I currently have the average size range, with a little shelving unit next to it to take up the extra space. I love, love, love these vintage stoves!

And to go with my lovely vintage range, I would like a whole new kitchen that harkens back to 1930s style. The picture below is the type of kitchen I would love to have, except with a different color scheme. I'm not a fan of white anything in the kitchen, so maybe a butter yellow or sage green or even red! You see, I plan on winning the lottery.

I want a creative year, because creativity makes me feel good. I love the feeling I have when I've completed a project. This also means I want an organized year, because organization helps me be more creative. Yes, I am one of those people who needs a clean desk in order to work. Organization is freedom to me.

Speaking of organization, I also want a real, bona fide laundry room. My laundry room consists of a washer and dryer against a wall in my basement. I want an aesthetically pleasing laundry room offering organization and convenience. It won't have windows or anything, but it could have a sink, countertop and cabinetry a la the picture below:

I want to finally figure out a color I would like to paint my living, dining and hallway. It has been 10 years since I painted these rooms, so they are starting to need it.

And last but not least, I want to install a patio, a raised bed vegetable garden, and a perennial garden along the sidewalk in my front yard.

These things may not all come in the next year, but they will come! Blessed be.

Some nice changes

I've been keeping busy this summer, and I've changed some things up in my lifestyle. First of all, I gave up wine several weeks ago. I drink far too much of it, and my consumption of it is standing in the way of a lot of things, not the least of which is weight loss. And I haven't really missed it. I've allowed myself some in social settings, such as when Rick's mom was over - I had a glass with her. But I'm not keeping it in the house, and I'm not spending money on it (that'll save $20/week!).

Since giving up wine, I've re-discovered my motivation to get some exercise on a nearly daily basis. It makes me feel good :) I sleep better and wake up earlier, so it's just easier to get up in the morning.

Another change is that I've begun making bread rather than buying it. Rick and I like good quality bread, and buying it is expensive, with decent 100% whole wheat bread costing nearly $5/loaf. I decided that since bread is easy to make, I could save us $10/week making it. Well, a little over $8/week considering the cost of ingredients. I've found that I enjoy making bread, and seeing those finished golden loaves come out of the oven gives me a really nice sense of accomplishment.

And I've found my muse again, which I think has a lot to do with removing the wine from my household. I've started a crochet project, a pretty wrap which thus far looks like a pretty squiggle, and I've just been inundated with ideas for other projects, which I will post as I begin them.

I feel fall in the air already, and even had to wear a sweatshirt on my walk this morning. Farmers Almanac predicted the cooler than average summer, and also predicts we should have a slightly warmer than average September. Considering we've had less than six weeks of summer-like weather, I'm not near as ready for autumn as I usually am by this time, so hoping we have a really nice September.

Green Clean: Declogging a drain

I'm a bit of a treehugger, and I hate using chemicals in my home, especially nasty stuff like Drano or oven cleaner. It's amazing to me all of the simple ways one can keep a home clean without all of those toxic chemicals. It's not that difficult, and it's a hell of a lot easier on the ol' pocketbook. I mean, I'm seriously not much for manual labor, so if I can do it, anyone can.

One thing I deal with a lot in my house are slow drains, especially in the bathroom sink and tub. My house was built in 1937, and plumbing was more narrow back then than it is today, so the pipes tend to clog more easily. I try to maintain them through dumping boiling water down them periodically (yeah, yeah, I've heard of the enzyme stuff, which is all good and well, you just have to do it every damn day, and I always forget), but they still end up running slow after a while.

Like I said before, I abhor toxic chemical cleaners, so here's my recipe for clearing clogged or slow drains:

•Baking soda
•Vinegar
•Toilet bowl plunger

I pour baking soda down the drain, top it off with vinegar, and plug the drain (the combo of these two things causes it to foam up, so if the drain is plugged, the pressure helps to push through the clog in the pipe). I repeat this a few times as sometimes this alone will solve the problem. If not, out comes the plunger. I fill the sink or tub with with just enough water (hot preferably) to create pressure, and plunge until the clog breaks up, and voilà! Works like a charm every time!

20 uses for Tea Tree Oil

20 uses for Tea Tree Oil

For Health

1. Use a dab to treat acne.
2. An anti-fungal for treating Athlete's Foot, eczema, various yeast infections, etc.
3. An antiseptic to be used on cuts and burns.
4. An anti-viral: it may lessen the symptoms of colds and flu. Try using a few drops in the bath.
5. Add to a vaporizer to loosen chest congestion.
6. Add a small amount to shampoo to destroy head lice.
7. A small amount added to your bath can help with persistent body odor.
8. Treating sinus infection.
9. For dandruff and dry scalp.
10. In the form of aromatherapy, tea tree oil is used to treat colds, persistent coughs, acne, toothaches, and sunburn.

For Cleaning

11. To create an all-purpose cleaner, combine 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil in 2 cups of water in a spray bottle.
12. Another version would be 14 ounces of water with 1 ounce of Murphy's oil soap and 10 drops of tea tree oil.
13. Mix the above solution with kosher salt to scrub bathtub and bathroom tiles.
14. Add a few drops to dishwasher dispenser, then fill with a green dishwashing soap.
15. A few drops added to each load of laundry leave your clothes smelling cleaner.
16. Control mold with a tea tree oil/water spray.
17. Remove mustiness with that same tea tree oil/water spray.
18. To keep germs at bay, spray it on high chairs, car seats, and other high traffic spots.
19. 15 drops in a quart of water can be an effective insect repellent.
20. Be sure to take some with you when hiking and camping to put directly on insect bites or blisters.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/20-great-uses-for-tea-tree-oil.html#ixzz1QUlLhpI2

Laxy Laxy Friday

Coffee on lazy Friday morning ... all the sweeter as I have Fridays off!

Cooking, creativity and spiritually ethical consumer choices

Wow, it's been a long time since I’ve posted. I’ve noticed that I go through phases of hybernation where I’m just not very social, creative or, well, into doing a whole lot of anything outside of drinking wine. Maybe it's my version of seasonal affective disorder, but without the depression. I apparently get more active in the summer, when it’s nice and warm and the sun is shining down through bright blue skies.

Despite that, this past year has blessed me with a new love for cooking. Being on a shoestring budget is a large motivator, especially since both Rick and I like to eat well, and by eating well, I mean a wide variety of whole grain, non-GMO, free-range and organic foods – a bit of a challenge on the aforementioned shoestring budget. For me, this is two-fold. It’s healthier all the way around, removing things like added sugars (corn syrup is terrible for you, unless you believe the corn industry, who is trying to SELL you something … reminds me of the doctors PG&E paid for, and we know how that ended up), preservatives, hormones, etc., and it’s also satisfies my moral and spiritual ethics a little better.

What I mean by moral and spiritual ethics, as it regards to food, is what I’m supporting and enabling with my food choices, ie where does my food come from? How is it grown? What kinds of fertilizers and chemicals are used? How does this food’s production affect the environment? Are the animals I’m eating being treated humanely? Are they being fed the diet nature intended, or the one that is cheap but makes them sick unless they’re shot up with antibiotics? How are the animals processed after slaughter? What chemicals are used in the processing (labels don’t have to disclose those because they’re considered part of a process, not an ingredient – but it still ends up in your food!)? I could go on and on.

There are so many disgusting things that go on behind the scenes, none of which are apparent in the grocery isle where it’s all neatly packaged and displayed. Think about that beef when it was on the cow, standing knee deep in excrement and shoulder to shoulder with hundreds to thousands of other cows. Sound appetizing? Sound healthy? As a consumer, what happens to my food before it reaches my stomach is important to me.

As a spiritual being, the energy inherent in that food, and the energy I am sending out into the world as a result of purchasing and consuming that food is also important to me. That energy can’t be all that great if it comes from a chicken who has never seen the outside of a cage, or one of those cows in the above paragraph, or wheat that’s been grown with toxic fertilizers which cause ground water pollution and into which is Round-Up genetically engineered. How can I say I honor Mother Earth and her inhabitants if I’m financially supporting their destruction?

Pitting all of that against a restrictive budget, what is one do? Well, I became an informed consumer. The more you know, right? In my case, it’s making the choice to learn how to cook meals in a way that is friendly to my time allowance (I work 10 hour days) using affordable ingredients that satisfy our nutritional, moral and spiritual goals. So, certain things I spend money on, certain things I don’t, it depends on the processes behind them. I cut out some things, limit others, and spend the majority on the rest. I’m not perfect, but I balance it out and do my best.

As a result, I’ve become a pretty decent cook! I was always okay, but I am so much better now! And I learned that I actually enjoy cooking, who knew? I enjoy trying new things. I enjoy being able to put a meal on the table that feeds us in all ways, body, mind and spirit. I enjoy being able to cook in a way that promotes sustainable practices. It’s one more way in which I can respect Mother Earth, her inhabitants, and all of her gifts … by appreciating and cherishing them, rather than abusing her abundance.

And don't forget, I am truly lazy, and this doesn't take away from that whatsoever.

Slowing it down

Happy New Moon! According to my astrologer, "This new Moon is one for starting healthy habits. Consider what you can do to better your personal best. However, since Mercury is retrograde put your intentions on paper and wait to put them into action after September 12."

What a busy last 10 days! Work has been crazy due to a hold up at the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. All the carriers had to file and receive approval for their October rates as a result of changes due to health care reform, so we brokers were left scrambling to get things done on time. Couple that with my honey spraining his ankle right before a bunch of really important gigs (equals me having to load his drums in and out of rehearsals and gigs, and drive him everywhere because he can't depress the clutch) and helping one of my bestest friends move this past weekend ... I'm just glad things have gone back to their normal pace.

Autumn has hit the Inland Northwest. Normally I crave autumn. Some of it is nostalgia for the back-to-school times of my yester-years, but mostly because it's heralds a time to slow down. Busy summer days are over. The growing season has come to a close, and it's time to sit back and enjoy the bounty. Us lazy folks love being able to sit back and enjoy, preferrably with a nice cabernet.

But the past two years we've had long winters and short summers. My burning bush started turning red the last week of August, and I wasn't quite ready for it this year. One day it was summer, and the next summer up and said "I'm outta here!" I missed it through Labor Day weekend. I'm over it now, and am welcoming autumn with open arms! Time for inside stuff, like sewing and reading and glasses of cabernet.

Speaking of slowing it down, I have had zero time to create the past few weeks, and I am looking forward to an un-busy weekend during which I can sit down at my sewing machine and play. I have been trying to brainstorm about what I can make for my friend Esther's birthday at the end of October. Having just moved this past weekend, she's going to have a housewarming/birthday/Halloween party, so I thought I'd make something housewarming themed for her, with a little witchy pizazz. She's very crafty (she made me a quilt!), so I need to come up with something good. I have a few ideas, but would love some more!