Joanne July 3rd, 2008

You know, I’m not normally one for extravagance. I have my little indulgences, and I do lurrrve luxury items, but I’m usually quite a restrained person (these days, at least). So this has been quite the year for me.

In February, I somehow managed to convince Darren that it would be a good idea to spend about AUS$1000 – on a blender! For crying out loud! But I’m so glad we did. I was as excited to get my Vita-Mix as was Penny to receive her new blending beauty a couple of months ago. It gets a good workout every day, sometimes a few times a day.

Was it money well spent? You betcha! Smoothies have taken on a whole new texture – “velvet” would be a pretty good descriptor. I find it hard to believe that I spent that much money on a blender, when for many years I drooled over KitchenAid mixers (which are a few hundred dollars cheaper than the Vita-Mix), telling myself that one day, one day, I would have one of my own – I still don’t have one, and given my decision to follow a high-raw diet, it’s unlikely I ever will. However, I still think they’re beautiful machines – the pastel pinky-mauve color would have been my pick (I think Vita-Mix blenders definitely need a design overhaul…). I’d like to think that, for all those years, I was trusting my instincts and saving my pennies for kitchen items that would be more beneficial to my health.

Despite its regular workouts, my little ole Vita-Mix was looking a little lonely sitting on its own on the kitchen bench. So, because we were fortunate enough to have some unexpected funds come our way in June, I decided to get her a friend.

I yet again persuaded Darren to buy yet another kitchen appliance. A few years ago we dropped and broke our food processor, and, because we didn’t use it very often, we didn’t bother buying a new one. Last year I needed to use one, so I borrowed my gran’s small processor, and we’ve been using it ever since. I felt that we really needed to grow up and buy our own, mostly because I didn’t want to end up damaging my gran’s with overuse. So I did the research, shopped around, and got Darren to lug home a humungous box (gee, he’s handy to have around) containing the magnificent Magimix 5200 processor. It was on sale, natch.

She’s a little beauty. OK, a big beauty. I’m in processing heaven – who’d have thought you could fit so much in a 3.6-litre bowl (or in the 2.6-litre midi bowl, or the 1.2-litre mini bowl)? Bliss. And no more worries about damaging my gran’s machine. We’ve been going crazy trying processor recipes, and Darren even made bread dough in it this weekend. I made Tera’s scrumptious raw coconut and lime balls yesterday (see the picture – is your mouth watering?). So easy, and I don’t have to pre-chop nuts anymore. In they go, baby! This gorgeous machine is going to be a huge help when I test raw recipes for my next recipe book…

Our other indulgent kitchen purchase has been for an Oscar VitalMax 900 single-gear juicer. The girls have loved helping juice fruits and veggies with it, and we’ve generally been pretty happy with its performance – although it seems to have a little trouble with carrots, and oranges come out a little “pulpy” in the juice (the latter being sorted when we strain the juice – a bit of a hassle). But it was on sale ($150 off! I’m such a bargain shopper), and it’s way ahead of our 15-year-old centrifugal juicer, which was on its last legs.

You and I know that none of these items is essential in a raw-food kitchen. But they sure make life easier, and I feel so lucky to have been able to purchase them. Having them is encouraging us to experiment with more recipes, and that will help keep my girls, and maybe Darren, interested in high-raw foods.

So what do we have? Blender, check. Food processor, check. Juicer, check. Dehydrator – will somebody stop this woman, before she does her bank account an injury?

Tags: juicer, raw food kitchen equipment, raw snacks for kids

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Penny July 3rd, 2008

This week, my daddy’s obituary popped up in front of me when I least expected. It appeared at the time my mom was visiting, so I ran to the room she was in and shared it with her once again. She was as delighted as I was to revisit the words about the essence of my dad. What a divine being he physically was and still is in his spiritual realm!

My dad’s physical life concluded on June 15, 1996; he would have been celebrating his 69th birthday on June 28 this year — the same day my mom came to visit us from Bermuda! As far as age goes, my dad “moved on” pretty early, but he certainly made his mark here on Earth before he left.

A few of the things documented in my dad’s obituary that highlight his genuine character are:

“…Ainsey was a ‘people person’ who tried very hard not to offend anyone. With his non-threatening disciplinary style, his love of conversation and debate, and his wonderful sense of humour, many young people who came in contact with him enjoyed his company and looked up to him as a role model…”

“…Mathematics and Technical Drawing were his favorite subjects during his school days…………….His children fondly recall the ease with which he assisted them with their math homework…”

“…Ainsey’s enigmatic personality attracted people from all ages and all walks of life. He was often referred to as a ‘philosopher,’ because he was wise beyond his years and had a great zest for knowledge….”

“…Ainsworth loved to cook and entertain. He said it helped him to relax after a hard day’s work. He was often found in the kitchen experimenting with various dishes. His home was likened to “The house of Abraham” by the Archbishop of his church because anyone was welcome there and made to feel at home with good food, plenty laughter and great conversation…”

“…His mother-in-law brags that in her 40-year relationship with her son-in-law, not once did they exchange a cross word…”

“…These past two years (during his illness) gave Ainsey the opportunity to create a legacy of love; in that he rekindled friendships, gained new friends and brought an already close-knit family even closer…”

“…On Saturday, June 15, 1996, with his wife at his bedside reading Psalm 112, Ainsworth peacefully closed his eyes and moved on to a better place…”

You know, I often stand in awe of how blessed my life has been having been raised and guided by the well-known and beloved Ainsworth Norwood Burgess — lovingly known as “Kebede” (an Ethiopian name that means “Powerful”). Memories of my dad make my heart smile and smile and smile!

Thank you, Daddy, for giving me the gift of your presence and parenting. Thank you with every fiber of my being for the love you showered me with and the worthwhile lessons you took time to teach me. I know a big reason why I love myself and others so much is a direct result of the unconditional LOVE that oozed out of you and Momma — a wonderful parenting team!

Thank you God for my parents! My life feels incredibly richly blessed because of them!

By the way, I’m pretty sure my love of greens all started with my dad — what an advocate of eating greens he was! As I ate some broccoli last night, I said to my mom, “Remember when Daddy used to say, ‘Eat your trees’ — referring to broccoli.” And, in college, when I made sure to eat my green peas and such, a friend often commented of how proud my parents would be to know I was on my own yet still eating my greens. Years later, I’m still eating those greens……..

Thanks for the Green Love, Daddy!

Big Green Hugs,

Penny

P.S. Picture above: My parents and I on my wedding day — June 6, 1992.

Tags: love, memories, parenting, parents

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Tera July 2nd, 2008

It wouldn’t be a raw mom site if we didn’t stop to acknowledge one of the amazing women behind this project and the fact that her darling baby daughter, Leora, has officially arrived.

Apparently, though labor was 30 hours of relatively easy going contractions, delivery itself was quick and slippery. Happened in about 5 minutes!

Amy’s off for a couple weeks and will hopefully be finding the time to relax and enjoy this new, beautiful addition to her family.

Since I’m quite sure that she will NOT be checking up on the blogs while she’s away, I thought I’d use this opportunity to suggest that we pitch in as a community and maybe get her something special.

Amy’s been moving a lot lately and hasn’t had the chance to settle into a new community to really make friends and acquaintances. I keep her so busy doing web work, accounting and design, that she doesn’t get the chance to come out and play and giggle much.

But she’s the sweetest and dearest woman I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with and I really would love to do something special to honor her at this time. And I was thinking, since most new babes always get what they need–including love and attention, I thought that we could actually do something special for “Telly” (Etelle). Leora’s big sister. I’m sure at this time she’s feeling a little less loving toward this new person in her life.

Competition isn’t easy.

Sooo, we thought that perhaps we’d pitch in to get her a few cool crafty games or books to keep her busy. And since I know Amy is going to be itching to get out of her pregnancy clothes, I thought a gift certificate to our FAAAAAVORITE clothing store might be just what she needs to get excited about getting in shape and looking great. Although, I have to admit, she looks GORGEOUS!! Baby curves and all!!

Sooo… if you’d like to donate, we’ll put your name on the e-card we send her to celebrate this amazing event. I think sometimes at a time like this, we tend to overlook the needs of a hard-working mom for the excitement and enthusiasm of a baby. What Leora needs most right now is a mom who is thriving, confident, supported and loved.

That’s why we’d really like to do something special for her. If you’d like to contribute, please just reply to this message and we’ll get in touch and make arrangements. Or, you can send a donation and love note to Amy here: rawdiva@mac.com

Remember, no amount is too small. We’ll pool it all together for a gift of love from the Raw Mom and Raw Diva community.

She really is the woman who makes all you see happen around here, and happen as beautifully and skillfully as it does. So thank you for taking the time and a bit of pennies to help give back to  Amy! I am so grateful to have her in my life and so inspired and excited by how her flair and creativity touches the lives of others!!

Tags: Amy DeWolfe, birth, community, raw pregnancy

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Ardis June 28th, 2008

Can you believe it isn’t even a word? At least I couldn’t find it in my dictionary. I guess it’s much more common to have arachnophobia. I know I’ve been afraid – no, make that terrified - of spiders for as long as I can remember.

I remember times, as a very young girl, screaming bloody murder at the sight of the littlest spider. This fear was only compounded by the fact that in the Pacific Northwest, where I grew up, there are these things called “wolf spiders” – scary, hairy monsters that are about 2 inches in diameter and leave welts the size of raspberries when they bite.

I remember seeing wolf spiders every place we lived but I was particularly terrorized in the house we moved into when I was 11. I got the attic room – a super cool pad with wall-to-wall carpeting (the ultimate luxury back in the early ‘80’s!) and slanted ceilings. I loved it. And, unfortunately, so did my friends, the wolf spiders; there was a major infestation. My mom tried to come to my rescue, but it seemed for every one she got a swipe at, 3 or 4 new ones would appear.

Unwilling to give up my stylin’ new digs, I resorted to sleeping in turtlenecks, the necks of which I’d pull over my mouth, convinced the creepy buggers were waiting until I fell asleep to have a party in there. Ugh, I think I lost a lot of sleep the couple of years we lived there! Anyway, you get the picture: I was petrified.

Sometime, around when I became a vegetarian, I decided I didn’t want to harm any living creatures if I could help it. I stopped calling on people to do my dirty work (i.e. screaming at the top of my lungs until someone came and killed the darn thing for me) and actually braved capturing spiders in jars and setting them free outside. This was made easier by the fact that we had by now moved across country (and I was no longer plagued by Mr. Wolfie).

In fact, I seemed to avoid any major spider problems for the next many years. That is, until I moved back to the Bay Area….

Once again, we have a super stylin’ pad: situated at the top of a canyon, surrounded by Eucalyptus, Redwood, Pine and Fir trees on 3 sides, our place has much the feel of a tree house. And, once again, it is an absolute haven for spiders.

We moved here shortly after I became pregnant with my son and, shortly after we moved here, my sweetie was bitten on the back of his leg. This bite became slightly necrotic and continued to peel and flake for over a year! He, two and a half years later, still has a big ole scar to prove it.

In a fierce, overly-zealous-new-mother sort of way, I turned primal and decided no spider was getting his fangs near my baby! And so I sent my honey on a killing spree, ordering up executions left and right of every spider I saw. He was more than happy to play my hero and knight in shining armor.
A few months after my son was born (who, to this day, is still unharmed by any spider), I got bitten. What started out as an itchy nuisance, within a day radiated into a huge black and blue bruise in the shape of a bull’s-eye. Well, rumors abound about a “brown recluse” spider in California, capable of causing gangrenous, rotting flesh wounds to its bite victims (and I was convinced this had been what had bitten my sweetie a year before), I totally freaked.

In my hysteria, I rushed to the doctor who, (stifling his laughter, no doubt) explained that there are no poisonous spiders in California except for Black Widows and they tend to hang out in wood piles and under houses, not in them. And, contrary to popular belief, brown recluses are not native to California. Feeling humiliated, I sheepishly slunk out of there with my hand-written “prescription” for calamine lotion and Neosporin….

This was a wake-up call to get a grip on my fear and go back to living in peace with my furry little friends. I also didn’t want to pass my irrational fears onto my son; I want him to grow up in awe of, connected to, and respecting nature and all its various creatures. In my quest to become an arachnophile, I’ve been studying up on spiders and they are quite fascinating - and often beautiful - animals. Not only that, but they play a very important role in our eco-system, keeping populations of other pesky insects and spiders under control; for example, the mosquito, which, given their propensity to spread disease, actually are a threat to humans. But I digress….

Long story short: spiders = good, fear = bad. Although I’m not quite ready to snuggle up to the creepy crawly things yet, I am making strides to overcome my fear. And I can only hope that, with time and peaceful cohabitation, my karmic debt to the spider kingdom will be forgiven.

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Penny June 27th, 2008

I (pictured here with green apron on) returned home this week after spending an enlightening and fun 10 days at the Living Foods Institute in Atlanta, GA. There’s just so much to write about that it will probably take several blog entries to cover many of the things I’d like to share.

For starters……

On June 13, about 35 participants from across the United States and Canada met at LFI for a 10-day hands-on educational journey of green living. Each morning, after taking a shot of wheatgrass and gathering in the room where the afternoon emotional healing classes would be held, students assembled into the large kitchen under the direction of the phenomenal Raw-Food Chef and LFI Kitchen Director, Debra Mazer (pictured below).

In LFI’s all-organic, living-and-raw-food kitchen, we worked in groups at stations……first preparing green Energy Soup (mixed greens, sunflower sprouts, buckwheat sprouts, lentils, mung beans, avocado, apple and dulse flakes or kelp). Each group worked collectively to prepare four batches of the Energy Soup that would be available to drink/eat throughout the day. After the batches were prepared, we would move on to prepare other recipes (including tasty dressings) that would be part of lunch later that day.

The lunch menu changed each day but always included Vege-Kraut (a fermented food), as well as mixed greens, sunflower sprouts, buckwheat sprouts, mung beans and lentils. Later in the week, when we prepared foods such as raw lasagna, veggie burgers, etc., we could only eat a really small portion of such foods with our salad choices since highly concentrated raw foods were not considered optimum eating for the week. Again, the optimum focus included leafy greens (including sprouts) and Vege-Kraut; quality food was always available in abundance. The rule was that no one should leave there hungry on any given day. Indeed, food was plentiful and satisfying; most days I did not feel the need to eat after 6:00 p.m. — when class ended. (By the way, with all of the greens, needless to say how incredibly tasty a simple red apple tasted during an afternoon snack one day. Another day, we all cheered when we saw watermelon appear for that day’s snack.)

In the Kitchen

Although I’m not an always-want-to-be-in-the-kitchen type of girl, I found that the couple of times I had those don’t-feel-like-being-in-the-kitchen moments at LFI, the feeling instantly disappeared once I entered the high-vibrational kitchen there. The sight of beautiful brightly colored healthy foods and their divine scents automatically shifted my feeling at the time. The kitchen was an amazing place to be at LFI. We often sang and danced as we chopped and blended foods, etc. Some of us even did the Bump (remember that dance?) as we busily followed the recipes in our recipe binder that Debra had first explained to us. Debra — with wheatgrass facial in session — is pictured here. What a raw-some princess she is!

LFI’s kitchen is undoubtedly a place of pure joy and love…..just as every other inch of LFI is! What made the time there even more meaningful was that no food was prepared until we had sent out a prayer of gratitude for our blessings, and no food was eaten until we had said affirmations and given thanks once again!

Emotional Healing Classes

The need to deeply understand that our power is in our present moment was a huge piece of our emotional healing journey. So, each afternoon, Jane Holmes, director at LFI, took us on a journey of emotional healing to help us learn to better live in the moment. Jane has quite a gift in this area of teaching — blended with a heart-wrenching yet heart-warming story of her own that unveils her path of emotional healing. It becomes clear throughout the class that Jane has deeply lived/is living what she’s teaching. Intertwined in Jane’s afternoon sessions were guest speakers, such as Carol Christa, energy healing therapist; Susan Boone, DNA healing therapist; Kathryn Lawson, chiropractor (who refers to herself as a “Spiritual Chiropractor”); and Joe Kasper, health coach and creator of 22-minute workout, and former LFI student.

Ronald M. Dressler, dentist at Mercury Free Dental Care, even spoke to our group about the critical importance of removing mercury fillings from our mouths. Serious business! And, Brenda Cobb, owner of LFI, made a joyous appearance on two days of the course and wowed us with her story about the healthy lifestyle protocol we were following — the very protocol that cured her of breast and cervical cancer after her diagnosis in 1999. Brenda closed each of her sessions with a group dance of Hokey Pokey.

“You put your right foot in, you put your right foot out, you put your right foot in and shake it all about. You do the Hokey Pokey and you turn yourself around. That’s what it’s all about….” Remember that?

Jane’s Potent Affirmations

Jane’s affirmations for “student angels” as she so lovingly referred to us, did a fantastic job of helping set the tone for our mornings and afternoons at LFI. Jane (pictured here), full of powerful, meaningful affirmations, took us on an affirmation journey a couple of times each day! Two of her lessons that really stand out in my mind at this particular moment are: “What other people think of me is none of my business…”(for those of us who waste energy worrying about what other people think of us).

And, Jane’s saying to release folks to their “greatest and highest power/good” (or something like that) quickly became a favorite of mine. I gained many tools for not letting other people’s energy suck up my own, and quickly “releasing them to their greatest and highest power” helps with that. Additionally, Carol Christa, the energy therapist mentioned above, taught us to visualize a rose when we need to keep other’s people energy out of our space. I’ve tried it a few times and it was worked! Yes!

Oh, Oh! Talking about energy, we were reminded repeatedly during the course that every thing is energy. Every thing! During the energy/emotional classes, I often thought deeply about my husband and son back in Florida, and I silently sent out love energy to them. I believed that when I sent those vibes their way, they would indeed feel it since energy can travel across the miles.

So, one morning, as Jane did her usual opening of inspirational intention setting for the day, I released a certain love energy to my guys at home. A few hours later, after finishing up in the kitchen, I picked up my cell phone to step outside, take a walk, and call my husband. I noticed, however, that he had left me a text message: “I miss you and love you.” I felt very warm-hearted when reading those words at that particular moment and later realized he sent it not long after I had released those vibes to him mentioned above. When I later explained to him about the energy I sent his way, he excitedly chimed in: “Yeah, I was just here doing something and was suddenly struck with a feeling of how much I missed you and loved you. It was as if the feeling suddenly came out of the light bulb.”

See, I told you every thing is energy — and that energy can travel!

Graduation

My guys took the 5-hour drive to Atlanta to be a part of the graduation party that concludes each 10-day class at LFI. Whew, LFI was packed with folks that day, and my classmates and I had prepared a kitchen full of raw and living food for guests to sample while there.

During the party, as I stood at one area of the kitchen serving the Banana Strawberry Nut Cobbler as folks exited the kitchen with their plates full of raw and living food samples, a guest approached me and said she recognized me from Pear Magazine. Needless to say I was elated to meet a Pear Magazine subscriber in the kitchen of LFI. How cool is that? Thank you, Valerie D….I enjoyed meeting you on Sunday.

At the graduation, each graduate gave a testimonial about the program to a diverse audience. As I made my way to the stage, Adele Northrup (pictured here in white shirt), owner of Virginia Highland Bed and Breakfast — the place where I had stayed during the course — handed me this beautiful flower. I ended up using it as part of my testimonial….explaining that the green stem reminded me of the abundance of greens we ate for 10 days, the yellow of the flower reminded me that we are all bright lights currently shining or just waiting to shine, and the inner part of the flower reminded me that we are all part of the circle of life. These were some of the invaluable lessons reiterated to students during our 10 days at LFI.

My affirmations for today:

~ I eat high-quality organic greens to support my health journey.

~ I am powerfully bright, because God doesn’t make anything dull.

~ We are all ONE.

With So Much Love,

Penny

Tags: health, Living Food, Living Foods Institute, organic, raw food

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Joanne June 24th, 2008

For about two hours on Saturday, I felt like a superstar. I kinda liked it.

On that wet, gray winter’s afternoon, I headed to our local bookstore to attend a book signing– my own! You see, last year, I was asked to update a children’s recipe book that had been published originally in 1984. I’m a book editor, specializing in food books, and being a mum, the publishers thought I’d be great at a book like this. I ended up completely rewriting it, and most of the recipes are of my own creation. The book was published in Australia in March this year, and its new title is I’m Hungry, Let’s Cook!

I wrote it with eight- to 12-year-old children in mind, and asked heaps of mums and children what they’d like in a really good cookbook. So, the result is a cute little book that will hopefully inspire kids to get into the kitchen, and to use really good-quality, fresh (and organic) ingredients. It’s a conventional cookbook, in that it features cooked recipes and a few “treats”, but I did squeeze in a few raw recipes.

I made sure that the recipes are descriptive enough that kids who are more “kitchen savvy” could make them on their own, and I emphasized the pleasure to be gained from making food for others as well as for themselves. I really think that teaching children to make food is a win-win for families – the children gain confidence in a new skill, as well as the satisfaction of creation, and parents get to put their feet up for while (once children’s skills are honed – especially the skill of tidying up the kitchen!).

There’s been a great response to the book (a couple of reprints already), and we thought a local book signing would be a great idea. So I baked up a batch of my super Crannie-Oatie-Chockie Cookies – a recipe from the book – and let myself be chauffeur-driven to the bookstore. The chauffeur was a lovely chap called Darren. He’s also my husband…

I set myself up with a few copies of the book, and got out my special new book-signing pen. The cookies (and the book) attracted quite a bit of attention. Most memorable is the boy for whom I first signed a book – he had been waiting around for me to arrive, and was quite in awe as I signed the book for him. What a sweetie! A few of my friends and family members also dropped by, which was fun… In fact, that’s my (young enough to be my older sister) aunt in the picture with me, as well as her baby boy, Mitchell.

So, as the afternoon drew to a close, I distributed the last of the cookies to the appreciative bookstore staff and headed off into the sunset (um … drizzly evening). It was so great to connect with people, and to give out a little bit of love. I feel privileged that all the hard work I put into the book could receive such wonderful recognition – if only our job of motherhood could receive public acclaim!

You know, a girl sure could get used to being a superstar…

PS At this stage, the book is only available in Australia, so if you live in Oz then you’re in luck! However, discussions are in progress for possible UK and US distribution.

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Ardis June 21st, 2008

It’s no new news that yoga is a great exercise during pregnancy, but in addition to improving flexibility, maintaining or building core strength, and otherwise preparing the body for labor, various poses, or asanas, can be beneficial in alleviating many common pregnancy complaints. Yoga, being a holistic practice - it addresses the mental, physical, and emotional/spiritual aspects of wellbeing – makes it particularly ideal during this time.

Here are some of the many ways yoga specifically helps to relieve common pregnancy woes. (Note: Please be sure to practice these poses with a qualified instructor trained in prenatal yoga, or follow a prenatal yoga program, as some of the poses need to be modified during pregnancy).

• Anemia – Downward facing dog, twists, and pranayama (breathing exercises) have proved beneficial in treating anemia, a common condition in pregnancy.

• Backache – Twists, triangle pose, extended side angle stretches, cat’s breath, downward facing dog (modified), and savasana (side-lying after 4th month) can really help alleviate backache.

• Lack of Concentration – Downward facing dog and side-lying savasana can really help with “pregnancy brain”.

• Constipation – Triangle pose, extended side-angle stretch, Warrior I and Warrior II, and twists all help to keep things moving!

• Edema - Triangle pose, downward facing dog, twists, and legs up the wall can help reduce swelling of extremities.

• Fatigue – Downward facing dog, pranayama, side-lying savasana, twists, child’s pose (modified), and seated hamstring stretch can really give an energy boost.

• Headache – Sitting twists, side-lying savasana, head to knee bends, seated hamstring stretch, and pranayama can help take a load off the mind!

• Insomnia – Downward facing dog, pranayama, and head to knee stretches can help insure a good nights sleep.

• Stress – Downward facing dog, head to knee stretches, seated hamstring stretch, and pranayama can help allay anxiety and release pregnancy-related tension.

• Varicose Veins – Head to knee stretches can help minimize varicose veins, a common pregnancy condition.

I have found much relief from practicing yoga during my pregnancy, most notably in increased energy and improved mental outlook. It has also been a fun bonding experience with my toddler – he is really good at downward facing dog and warrior I! – and it has helped me to feel more connected to the new baby inside. I highly recommend it.

Namaste~

Ardis

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Shannon June 20th, 2008

Strange question. To most people in western civilization, that is. But actually, toilet paper isn’t actually even known in many parts of the world. Toilet paper actually came into existence around 569 AD in CHINA. In the MING Dynasty it was even perfumed. In countries like Indonesia where people are too poor to afford it they use their hands- and Muslim countries use their LEFT hands for washing and their right hand for interacting with people. In Ancient Rome a sponge on a stick was used and then reinserted into a bucket with salt water. Elsewhere WOOL, HEMP, LACE, or even WOOD SHAVINGS, GRASS, STICKS, LEAVES, FRUIT SKINS, MAIZE HUSKS, STONES and SEA SHELLS (OUCH!) are all common.

It has been said that the Buddha’s excretions smelled like flowers, and I have noticed that my infants waste didn’t have a foul odour until they began solids… What is fascinating to me (I used to be a Colon Hydro therapist so I find this function incredibly vital and interesting- after all, the colon is the sewage system of our body- and we can all imagine what would happen if the sewage backed up in our homes or cities- DISASTER!) is how I have also noticed there are times when I actually DON’T NEED TOILET PAPER- I am sure you have had those times too, when you wipe, and it is perfectly clean!

This fascinates me. I have polled my own family and they all regularly experience this.

I am convinced it could ALWAYS be like this and it is how our Creator intended for us. Look at the animals- they pooh clean and go! No need to wipe and use toilet paper that has to be disposed of – another problem.

Of course our emotions and stress levels affect our state of health and therefore our pooh too, but nothing more than our DIET. Anyone can do an experiment and clean up their act- literally! Just by cleaning up their diet. I recently bumped into my twin brother and his lovely wife (she looks just like Jennifer Lopez) at a HEALTH CONVENTION. She was sooo happy to run into me because as she put it “Shannon, I’m sooo confused! There is so much here and I can’t determine the good from the crap- HELP!” Well, I over-simplified it, but this works for me at those things “If its RAW, good, if its not, crap” as we were having this conversation we noticed my brother, her hubs, was very engaged in a discussion with a salesman at a booth so we strolled over to see what had his attention. It was a newfangled COMMODE that has a bidet, and a dryer, and some other functions that he was excitedly expounding on to his wife- I started to S-L-O-W-L-Y back up from this embarrassing family moment- HAHA. She caught on and was like “Sounds interesting, Hun” and we practically RAN around the corner in search of something, anything more Hip than that! It was hysterical!

Then I saw this piece on Oprah about a poor guy who had OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and hadn’t used his own bathroom for 5 years or something because he is afraid of germs so he squats outside in the bush. Well, ‘good on him!’ I say! He’s got it right. Toilets are constructed all wrong- we are supposed to be in a squatting position to properly defecate, not in a sitting position which pinches off the proper evacuation. And bathrooms are a germ bed- the outdoors makes so much more sense… But of course they ‘cured’ him and now he uses his bathroom. When we buy our dream home on a piece of land, you know where you’ll find me!

Shannon Leone

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Penny June 20th, 2008

In the comment section of my Girls’ Day Out post, I wrote this reply to Monique:

“…Talking about Bible verses, one of my favorites is Genesis 1 verses 29 and 30 about God’s love in creating our food…..

“God said, ‘See I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.

‘And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food…’” ~ NRSV Children’s Bibile

These verses resonate so deeply with me and clearly remind me of the original diet for humans. I often tell my son that if he ever gets confused by what we should be eating, refer to Genesis. Genesis does mean “the beginning.”

Today, I was flipping through Your Right to be Beautiful by Tonya Zavasta, and came across her “Nature Always Right, Cooks Never” chapter in which she says:

“Many Christians praise themselves for abstaining from sins and sensuous pleasures such as drinking, smoking and gambling while indulging in perverse eating as the only pleasure available to them. At the same time, during church meetings they address God with a long list of prayer requests for sick people. We are being irrational when we ask God to do for us what we should do for ourselves. Read a book by Rev. George Malkums, Why Christians Get Sick, and you will become convinced you do not have to be sick, and much misery among people could be eliminated simply if they return to God’s original diet. His other book, God’s Way to Ultimage Health, is filled with inspirational testimonials of more than 300 people who recovered from different degenerative diseases or simply improved their overall health by following God’s design for our food consumption.”

During this past week or so, I’ve been steadily reminded of God’s original diet. Writings to support this, such as Tonya’s words above, have been popping up everywhere.

In the latest newsletter I received via e-mail from EatSprouts.com, Val wrote:

“…I love the rawfood world where it’s win-win for everyone! I don’t know of any other world where every single living being WINS.

“The more you REACH FOR RAW, the more you discover you’re doing the work you always wanted, beyond your dreams. You don’t need a vision board.

“You need to focus on a Green Smoothie daily, and all of Ann Wigmore’s teachings. Then the divine harmony gently carries you into a dream world, a world where there is so much love and joy every day.

“A higher power knows where you belong, even more than you do! God does not need a vision board. Please eat food from the hand of God. This is where your bliss lies.”

Need I say more?

In Bliss!

Love,

Penny

Tags: bliss, God, health, original diet, raw food

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Joanne June 17th, 2008

I’m rather proud of myself. This weekend I became all crafty and homespun, and made library bags for my girls. They had been taking standard council library bags to kindergarten each Tuesday (which is the kindergarten “library” borrowing day, when they are each allowed to take one book home), but they had mentioned many times that they wanted “special” library bags.

Being short on time, I hit the stores in search of the perfect bags. Surely they had to be out there! Surely they wouldn’t cost the earth! Well, unfortunately, they didn’t have to be out there, and if they were out there, they actually cost more than the earth and the moon combined. So, being supermama, and feeling the need to take on too many projects at once, I decided to make the bags myself.

After much fruitless searching for non-licensed, non-horrid fabric, I eventually came across a gorgeous store that sells beautiful fabric. If you live in Melbourne, check it out – “Patchwork on Central Park” in East Malvern (www.patchworkoncentralpark.com.au). I’d never before gone to this store, thinking it would be a fuddy-duddy gathering place for old ladies making standard old patchwork quilts (not that there’s anything wrong with that), but I’m so glad it was recommended to me. So many funky fabrics, so little time…

So why on earth did I think I would have the skills or patience to undertake a project like this? Well, I have the benefit of great sewing training from my mum (for more on my amazing mum, see my mother’s day blog), but I had also armed myself with a super little book called The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections, by Amanda Blake Soule. Amanda has a fabulous blog at www.amandasoule.com (the photography is luscious, for starters), and recently released this book. I love this book. For many parents, there would be nothing “new” in it, but it really is an inspiration. She even tells you how to make wooden knitting needles! I’m going to employ heaps of Amanda’s fabulous ideas. The girls are already so into “craft” – they’ll love having even more ways to express their creativity. She also includes instructions for basic tote bags, so I used that as my guide for the library bags.

I spent a good deal of the weekend at my grandmother’s house, using her sewing machine (I don’t own one, because then I’d have to use it). It meant I got to spend a lot of time with her, and with my aunt and baby cousin, who are staying with my gran while my grandfather is in hospital recovering from surgery. So great to spend special time with my extended family. I also found it so meditative, watching closely as the machine needle thumped gently up and down; and focusing so hard on hand-stitching in all the loose ends of thread. There was some clenching of teeth in frustration as I unpicked yet another mistake, and many wide smiles of satisfaction and relief as I finished yet another section of each bag.

So, having taken a good few hours longer than planned, I finally finished my works of art. The girls are so proud of me. They’ve also been using the bags as part of their playtime, filling them with dolls and other tea-party essentials. I tell them that there is love sewn into every stitch. Thank you, Amanda Blake Soule, for re-igniting my own love of creation, and for reminding me how important it is to value the hand-made, and the innate creativity of children.

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