Saturday, November 29, 2008

Play-Doh PacMan

Brian and Gavin made this neat little thing today together: a PacMan game scene out of Play-Doh!


Friday, November 28, 2008

The Vertigo Tarot, Again


I received the new copy/edition of The Vertigo Tarot by Dave McKean. I have an old copy but a few years ago I foolishly believed it was safe in my suitcase on one of my trips to Austin. Airport security managed to make a very prominent bend in one of the cards while they went through the deck. And of course, that bend has always bothered me.

But now I have a new copy and all is well! I'm so glad they decided to publish it again. I thought that would never happen.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving EVERYONE!! I hope your day is filled with lots of love and joy and many reasons to be thankful!!!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Cucumber Noodles!

I am in love with cucumber noodles!

Yesterday, after trying to decide what to do with the rest of the cucumbers in the fridge before they went bad, I FINALLY made noodles out of them. I used a julienne peeler that I bought from a lady who sold Pampered Chef. Love it! The little handheld one is very convenient and quick for servings for less than a few people. Cucumbers peel nicely into noodles. And of course making noodles out of fresh whole foods is just FUN and fun to eat!

So yeah, this was my dinner tonight (and last night) - cucumber noodles with spinach cream sauce. YUMMY!


Tomorrow I am off to the grocery store for more cucumbers!

Friday, November 21, 2008

Fireplace Blues

I am so tired right now and my back hurts. Just got through putting the logs back into the fireplace after trying to figure out how to relight the pilot in there. Earlier Gavin rushed to me saying he had to tell me something, that he "blew out the fire". It was the fireplace pilot light he blew out. I cannot believe he did that when he knows not to mess with the fireplace at all and all of a sudden he can't help himself but to BLOW at the little pilot fire. He now knows that things like that can be very dangerous, that gas can lead to houses being blown up and people dying. I could have sworn I told him it was dangerous before, but now I really had to let him know how morbid things can get. Hey, it's the truth. He seemed to really get the message.

I AM glad that he felt the urgent need to tell me though.

I called the gas company and the lady I spoke to said everything was fine as long as I didn't smell gas (which I don't) and for me to call tomorrow to find out when someone is available to come relight it. I called my dad, and of course he said lots of "Oh shits", he doesn't even like candles being lit in his house for fear of a fire being accidentally started. But he made sure also that I didn't smell any gas. They have a fireplace that needs to be relighted too!

Looks like I'm waiting for Brian to come home to see if he can manage to relight it. We spent much time on the phone with each other on the internet looking at how to fix this mess. Our fireplace does NOT have that little red ignite button. Things would be so simple if it did. And honestly I cannot specifically find the pilot light area anyway! I even took photos to send to Brian to see if you could see something I couldn't see. Nothing. I guess we have to wait until he gets home in a few days.

He did have me turn off the gas valve in there though.

I wonder how much it costs to have the gas company come relight it. I'll find out tomorrow. I bet it's a ridiculous price, though I hope I am wrong.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Green Soul Challenge - Day 7

I haven't updated in a bit but I am doing well on my challenge, having my daily green including getting in some spirulina that I'm mixing with fresh orange juice. Last night I cut open the most beautiful grapefruits for juicing. I just love grapefruit juice! The grapefruits didn't look like much on the outside but boy were they beautiful when I cut them in half. You know that feeling you get when you cut open a beautiful watermelon? I get that same feeling when I cut open a beautiful grapefruit. So very luscious. I had a hard time deciding if I wanted to juice them or just pour a little agave on them and eat it with a spoon.

Speaking of cutting, I don't think I ever blogged about my favorite knife. I love this knife. It's a 7" santoku, but most importantly it's rainbow! Having a favorite knife I feel is nice a nice touch when making and caring about the food you make.


So, all this green has been very cleansing for me. A couple of days ago I started detoxing something fierce in the right gland near my throat/jaw. It is a lot better today though. I'll be sure to get my circulation going more to help it finish clearing out. I wish I had a rebounder though!

It was 17 degrees out this morning! I really need a new winter coat.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Green Soul Challenge - Day 3

I'm starting to type this at 11:11, awesome spiritual numbers. It's amazing when you really focus on eating cleaner to rid the body of unwanted things, outer things follow that show itself in needing to be rid of. There is a true connection with treating your inner life well and your outer life wanting to reflect that and I feel so blessed in experiencing that, it's very freeing.

Why yes, I did have my daily green today. Lots of salad still. We went to the grocery store to pick up some more stuff, so I was able to get the usual mixed greens. I didn't do the green smoothie today but hopefully soon. I just seem to be on this salad kick and I am really enjoying it.

I may just make a spirulina drink before I go to bed though.

Brian says he has birds too!

Brian sent this cell phone video to Gavin of some seagulls on his truck. The caption he sent along with it is what's funny. It said, "I got birds too.", in reference to my new birds. Silly Brian! What's also funny is that Gavin took him serious at first, thinking his daddy had some new birds! Silly Gavin!


Friday, November 14, 2008

Green Thoughts and Raw Packages

It feels good to be back in the green mode. This is day 2 for me in my Green Soul Challenge. All these leaves are filling me up! I only have lots of baby spinach left though. Depending on the weather tomorrow, I may go pick up some more variety of greens, if not I'll just make a banana mixed berry green smoothie with the baby spinach. I've actually been eyeing all those damn dandelion leaves in my backyard, I think I'll check tomorrow for some immature leaves if it isn't too wet outside, which it probably will be.

More raw agave nectar came today, I almost ran out. I am so thankful for Amazon on selling cool raw food staples like that at a more affordable price. I remember a few years back when agave nectar was ridiculously expensive. I mean, it really was robbery. Also recently from Amazon came my order of goji berries. For over 6,000 years, the Goji berry has been used to help protect the liver, help eyesight, boost the immune system, prevent cancer, and promote longevity amongst other benefits. Goji Up! I really need to make some sort of chocolate goji recipe soon. Mmmm.

Read more on goji berries.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Green Soul Challenge - Day 1

So I actually started yesterday, making sure I ate lots of leafy greens but I'm counting today as the starting point hoping my friend Sherry also started today. I had a nice salad of mixed greens - baby romaine, baby spinach, tango and a few leaves of radicchio. I don't really care too much for the purple leaves, they are awfully bitter to me, but when it's just a few leaves of it in the salad, it isn't bad at all and actually gives a nice contrast in taste.

The creamy salad dressing I make is really good (saving the recipe for my book). I love that my son loves it as well, he specifically asks for it whenever he has salad. Instead of water as the base, I use coconut water (along with nuts), it doesn't have a coconut taste whatsoever for those that are wary in using it. Coconut water is highly refreshing with loads of electrolytes. I swear I get a zing from it! I can feel its energy. Coconut water is awesome!

So yep, I had my green for the day! Yay!

I currently have some cucumber and lemon water marinating for tomorrow. I'll be sipping on that throughout the day. I meant to make it earlier today but totally forgot!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

My 30 Day Green Soul Challenge

I am inviting anyone who wants to join to a 30 Day Green Soul Challenge.

What does this challenge entail?

The daily consumption of raw chlorophyll-rich foods - at least one meal having lots of good chlorophyll. The easiest and best way in my opinion are raw Green Smoothies - fruit smoothies with added leafy greens in them. This blended form allows for better absorption thus more nutrition.

I will eat salads as well some days and count that towards the "daily green". The salads must consist of dark leafy greens and no, iceberg does not count. You can eat iceberg salads of course, but it does not count towards this challenge. What we are aiming for here are the lovely dark greens, such as spinach, kale, swiss chard and collards. These have a higher content of chlorophyll and nutrition all around.

Also counting towards this challenge are supplements like adding spirulina to raw juices and wheatgrass of course is included. Let me know if I should add anything else to the list.

The benefits of "green sunshine" are enormous and foolish to ignore. Chlorophyll is chemically similar in composition to that of human blood, except that the central atom in chlorophyll is magnesium, while iron is central in human blood. This, and the fact that chlorophyll is central in plant metabolism, had prompted scientists to find out if chlorophyll can offer similar benefits to humans.

Overall, chlorophyll has anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties but here are some details of the benefits:

• It has been seen to help in the growth and repair of tissues.

• Chlorophyll helps in neutralizing the pollution that we breathe in and intake everyday - a good supplement for smokers.

• It efficiently delivers magnesium and helps the blood in carrying the much needed oxygen to all cells and tissues.

• It is also found to be useful in assimilating and chelating calcium and other heavy minerals.

• It had been seen to have a good potential in stimulating red blood cells to improve oxygen supply.

• Along with other vitamins such as A, C and E, chlorophyll has been seen to help neutralize free radicals that do damage to healthy cells.

• Chlorophyll is also an effective deodorizer to reduce bad breath, urine, fecal waste, and body odor.

• It may reduce the ability of carcinogens to bind with the DNA in different major organs in the body.

• Chlorophyll may be useful in treating calcium oxalate stone ailments.

• It possesses some anti-atherogenic activity as well.

• It can be used to treat infected wounds naturally.

• It has antimutagenic and anti-carcinogenic properties so that it may be helpful in protecting your body against toxins and in reducing drug side effects.

• These are only a few of the multitude benefits that chlorophyll can do to the body.

http://www.nutritional-supplements-health-guide.com/chlorophyll-benefits.html


Hopefully, this can be a great jump start for a continual love of raw green foods after experiencing and feeling the benefits for some. If you are joining, join whenever you can, we don't all have to be on the same days. Wishing you lots of yummy health!

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Fire Over Fire - New Candlesticks

I finally don't have to look at an empty space above my fireplace anymore. The mantle now displays those very cool candlesticks from my wish list! I used the $100 gift certificate I got in return from FrontGate for buying that Gold Xmas Tree to buy them. And let me tell you, these candlesticks are larger than life! Brian and I were in awe at just how huge they were. The tallest one is 24 inches in height.


It has taken awhile (ever since we moved in this house) for me to figure out what to put there above the fireplace. I had ordered a Goddess Kwan Yin painting for the area awhile back, but the dimensions weren't right for the space. Now all I have to do is find some cool candles! I think I already know which ones I want though.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

White Java Finches

My java finches came today! They are so pretty! I absolutely adore their beaks, it has got to be the main factor on why I like them (other than their birdsong of course!). I have a male and female couple. Only the male of the species actually sings a tune though the female does make a noise. My male was already singing a bit after he got use to being in his new surroundings, which I was extremely happy about. I have new and more natural branch perches coming soon to replace the ugly bulky perches that came with the cage. That'll really add a more natural look to the cage and better suit the birds.


Female on left, male on right.

Female.

Male.

Gavin is excited about having pet birds. He wanted to stay up later to be with them. I told him he could get ready for school near them in the morning and he looked at me like I was crazy and said, "They'll see me naked!"

Anyhow, I still need to name them. I usually name animals Asian names and words, so more than likely I'll go that route.

Barack Obama - Our Next President

How happy am I? EXTREMELY happy!!!!

America is on her way to positive change and growth. I feel very relieved about that, for America and the world.


Saturday, November 1, 2008

A Grim Reaper Halloween!

Gavin had a blast being scary for the first time for Halloween. He chose this costume himself. I ended up inverting the colors of some of the photos I took of him and I think they turned out good - a perfect vibe for Halloween photos.


Click to enlarge this inverted closeup. It's freaky good!




Hope everyone had a nice Halloween! Sadly, I didn't have any trick-or-treaters come to the house, and Brian bought GOOD candy. We would have been considered one of the "good candy houses", but alas, no faeries, witches, or monsters stopped by.

Brian took Gavin across the street to explore the neighborhood over there for Gavin to trick-or-treat at, and I was really surprised when they came back with his bag full of candy. Supposedly, the houses that were giving out candy were so happy that someone actually stopped by to trick-or-treat that they gave Gavin handfuls!

I'm glad he had fun.

Oh, something really tacky but funny, someone handed out pink wrapped "It's A Girl" mints.