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By Lindsey, January 31, 2012

Look what I saw yesterday! Snowdrops! Spring is coming. The birds know it, the plants know it!

It was a beautiful, warm day yesterday. Admittedly, I was more in the mood for a snow day so that I could stay in and get indoor things done. This is the season of hibernation and hunkering down, and sometimes I don’t want to feel lured out by the sunshine and warmth. In wintertime, I want winter. Buuuuut…you gotta strike when the iron is hot — so I let myself be lured out anyway, and I enjoyed it so much!

I was craving Ethiopian, my favorite type of ethnic food, so I got take-out and took it to a nice nature spot, took off my shoes, rolled up my sleeves, and ate in the sunshine. Then I took a short, leisurely walk. It felt so good to be outdoors in the warm air.

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By Lindsey, January 23, 2012

My mom & I had a sweet little leisurely walk together in the sunshine and long shadows of this quiet Monday afternoon, along with a café stop afterward for hot chocolate with whipped cream! We both loved it so much. I was totally exhausted again today, but felt that I really wanted to get out of the house into the outdoors. I had to practically peel myself up off the living room carpet to do it, but I’m so glad I did.

Medicine for the soul is very important.

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Comments (3)

By Lindsey, January 5, 2012

It was a beautiful day today! 60°+ temperatures and sunny. So spring-like, and it made me feel like doing some spring freshening of the house. Consequently, there was lots of laundry-doing, floor-sweeping, vacuuming, and airing out of rugs and bedding. The windows were open, and I burned a stick of my favorite piñon pine incense that I bought in Santa Fe. I carried it around to all the rooms, and into the corners and crevices of each room, clearing any stagnant energy that might be lurking. In addition to making the house smell wonderful, the incense smoke is thought to be good for cleansing the energy of your home. Many cultures the world over use it for this purpose. I find it interesting when divergent cultures all happen to share a common ritual, because then I think ‘hmm, there might really be something to that.’

I took a break to sit in the sun, and was reading random pages in the book 168 Feng Shui Ways to Declutter Your Home, and came across a section that talked about the energetics of living near a hospital (and how to remedy that energy), and another section talking about living near a cemetery. I realized while reading this that my whole entire life has been lived — in one place or another — within a few blocks of two or three hospitals. And the apartment we currently live in is actually sandwiched — within just a couple blocks — between a cemetery and two hospitals! And not only that, but the very house we live in was used during WWII as a makeshift hospital. (And I hardly dare go this far, but I’ve always said “this house is cursed!” much to my hubby’s chagrin…because many of the plants I bring here have quickly died for no apparent reason.)

The hospital section says:

“If you live near a hospital, you are in close proximity to yin spirits. This is because hospitals are where the yin chi of sick (and dying) people accumulates, and this is not healthy for yang living abodes. It saps the vitality of your home. Even apartment houses and mansions on land where a hospital used to be are said to be afflicted with left-over energy. This energy can be so yin as to cause residents illness and problems. … Fire energy, in the form of incense smoke, absorbs yin chi and dissipates it, and so is an effective way to balance the yin emanating from hospitals or hospital land, and also police stations, abattoirs, and other places where there is death, sickness, and dying energy present. Many Chinese, who observe space-cleansing rituals purify their homes with incense smoke each Friday evening just after sunset. …”

The cemetery section says:

“If your home or apartment house is located near a burial ground, it is a good idea to cleanse your home regularly with incense. … Homes located near cemeteries are vulnerable to what is known as yin spirit formation, an affliction that often brings illness to children or those whose astrological timing is low and weak. The Chinese are especially sensitive to this kind of affliction and often combat it with fire-energy cleansing, which makes use of incense and smoke. It is believed that smoke from holy fragrant incense that is placed on a burning coal keeps yin spirits away from your home.

I was reassured, however, by reading this particular paragraph regarding negative energies in your home:

When negative chi has seeped into the spirit of a home in this manner, it must be released. Releasing it is not difficult. It is not hard to cleanse spaces of their left-over energy, regardless of how strong the negative energy is.

Thank goodness for that! And you can bet I’ll be carrying out incense space-clearings on a more regular basis! I also like using the Australian Bush Flower Essence Space Clearing Spray and will most certainly be making up a fresh batch of that spray for much more regular household use!

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What do you do to clear the energies in your home?

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When the weather gets warm, the rugs get put out on the roof!

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Comments (5)

By Lindsey, November 10, 2011

When Trish over at Soul Soup Sister wrote about her parents’ house and how peaceful it is and how it has an abundance of good energy and is a good place to just sit quietly, I could totally relate! I love my parents’ house for all the same reasons. When I ride my bike across a main thoroughfare into their neighborhood, I notice that I breathe out a big sigh. It’s a quieter, safer, and much less congested neighborhood. A much calmer atmosphere. We have a lovely little apartment of course — it’s a space of love and laughter, it has good energy, and it has lots of character and beautiful stained glass windows and vaulted ceilings. However the neighborhood is congested and noisy, we have people living below us, I feel disconnected from nature and the earth, and even if I did have my own yard, I wouldn’t feel totally safe and at ease sitting in it (the neighborhood being what it is). And when I don’t leave this place for days at a time — held prisoner by this illness — our sweet apartment begins to feel like my cell.

So it feels really good to go to their house…where my cat lives…where my gardens are….where the piano is…a house which is sometimes so quiet that my ears ring…which has a safe & private yard…and just be in peace. I feel extremely lucky to have their house as another option for days when I need to get outta here, or be outside, but don’t feel well enough to be out and about in the world. It feels like a healing respite. There’s lots of quietude and good energy.

I went over there Tuesday — my cat was the only one home. She took a nap in the sunshine on the warm straw in the garden while I puttered around and collected the last of the parsley, calendula, and queen anne’s lace seeds, and then had some tea. Later we took a nap, cuddled up together under a blanket on the couch. My cat is so great. We are so in tune with each other. She’s so good at quietly supporting… just being there. I was taking a nap, and every once in a while I’d open my eyes to see if she was sleeping too, but no… each time I’d open my eyes she’d be staring at me! Eventually, though, she did close her eyes and sleep too.

Here are some pictures from around my parents’ house:

Can you see the kitty rushing by?

I adore this painting my dad did for me, of an Australian Aboriginal man. My dad is amazing. I wish I had his talent~

My cat Liz, resting on the straw in my garden.

The front porch

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Comments (5)

By Lindsey, October 22, 2011

It’s Free Shipping time at one of my very favorite companies, Tropical Traditions! Free shipping will save about $10-15 off your order, so it’s a good time to stock up, or try them out if you haven’t before. I really love this company’s products, and use them daily. Now through Midnight EDT on Monday October 24th, they’re offering free ground-only shipping when you enter coupon code 241011 at checkout.

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Tropical Traditions has a wide range of high-quality products; here are my favorites:

Moisturizing lotion – I use this every day on my face and hands. It’s the most luxurious stuff, and very gentle since it has only a few wholesome ingredients. Definitely my all-time favorite lotion.

Moisturizing cream – Much thicker than the lotion, this is another favorite. Also great for use on face and hands.

Virgin organic coconut oil – Great for cooking, eating, and also for skin! Has a much better taste than other unrefined coconut oils I’ve tried. I just love this stuff.

Organic raw honey – This is the best-tasting honey I’ve ever had. I like to buy and taste lots of different honeys, and this one always wins, hands down. When I first tried it, my eyes got big and my mouth dropped open; it just has the most amazing taste! Quintessential, flowery honey taste. This stuff is a staple in our house!

Coconut cream concentrate – I love this stuff. LOVE it. The “format” is a little strange, because when you receive it,  it will have settled out into a hardened layer of coconut oil and a layer of dried/finely ground coconut meat. You’ll wonder what to do with it at first; what I do is put the jar into a pan of simmering water and let it sit there until the contents have softened and liquefied, and then I can easily stir it up. Then, I put it in the fridge until it’s hardened again. Once hardened, you can then store it in the fridge or at room temperature (it won’t separate again unless it gets really hot in your house). I usually just eat this stuff plain, it’s so good; I break it into chunks with a knife, and eat it as a snack. Sometimes I’ll eat it dipped in the raw honey, which is a very decadent and extremely delicious snack!!!

Laundry Detergent – This detergent is all we use, now that I’ve discovered it. It works very well, gets the stains out, and lasts a long time, making this a very economical purchase.

Oxygen Bleach – Like OxyClean. If you need a tough stain-fighter/deodorizer for laundry and everywhere else around the house.

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Now, I’ve also tried their organic bar soap, and though it was really nice soap, Hubby and I have never seen a bar of soap get used up so fast! It was weird. It just seemed like it was gone in record time. So I wouldn’t get it again. (Though my mom has the liquid soap and really loves it.) I haven’t tried every single product that they sell…but the ones I listed above, I make sure to never run out of!

Also, I bought the Atchara once out of curiosity, and it was extremely strong (even for this vinegar lover!), and a little weird. Not quite a favorite.

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And if you’re a new customer and have never bought from them before, you can also get this Virgin Coconut Oil book, with information  & recipes, for free (any time, not just today) by entering my User ID, which is 6032410. When you’re going through the checkout process and you’ve added your shipping address and phone number, you will see the question “How did you hear of us?” Just choose “Referred by a friend” and then a new “User ID” field will appear below that where you can enter my User ID. (See screen shot below.)

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Comments (6)

By Lindsey, September 27, 2011

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This could certainly be a scene from a rural farmhouse, but actually it’s right here in our own urban attic apartment!

There are pickles fermenting…12 lbs of wild grapes washed & de-stemmed & waiting to be made into jam or fruit leather…lavender drying for tea through the winter…a bubbling sourdough starter waiting to be used for whole wheat sourdough tortillas or pancakes…sage drying…and heirloom Black Russian tomato seeds drying for next year.

♥~ You don’t necessarily need a farm to have a homestead! ~♥

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Comments (4)

By Lindsey, September 26, 2011

We’re having the most incredible spell of perfect weather right now! Day after day, we’ve had sunny, cloudless days of no wind and low 80s. This is typical September in Colorado! The best month of the entire year.

Today was another glorious one…actually hot, it got up to 86°! So I felt grateful that I was able to shove everything aside, moneymaking work included, and go have a play day out with my mom! We had such a nice time! I’m finding that I need to make sure I have enough fun right now in my life…fun is the opposite of stress. It’s always important to have fun, but most especially when we’re under stress. Life has been, quite frankly, less than fun lately…so doing stuff like this right now — to keep the joy in life — is more important than any moneymaking work could be!

So we went to an outdoor goods store, then had coffee/tea overlooking a river. I didn’t really take any pictures, but we ended our afternoon with a trip to the health food store. I’ll show you what I got…

Some good stuff: Kalona grassfed unhomogenized milk, buttermilk for hubby, shampoo from the “gradoo pit,” unrefined sea salt, red wine vinegar, organic lettuce, a bottle of Udo’s Choice green blend powder (never tried it, but couldn’t resist) which was marked down to 99 cents from $31 because it expires next month!, arrowroot for these cookies, soba noodles (which I’m actually going to return, because I didn’t notice that they’re made in China…and as a rule, I don’t put anything into or onto my body that was made in China!), 3 organic kiwis, some earl grey & jasmine green tea, scullcap leaves for tea, coconut water, & some organic lemons which are a staple in our house! Fruit has been coming from the farmer’s market, and vegetables have been coming from my garden!

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Did you have a joyful Monday today? How’s the weather in your neighborhood??

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Comments (3)

By Lindsey, September 10, 2011

Love.

Can you see it spelled there on the cucumber leaf?

Love…