SWEET SURRENDER

Favorite Daily Rituals

Dry Skin Brushing!  Have you tried this?  I have to say I love it.  I used to do this daily a few years back and sometime during my pregnancy with Rowan, I got out of the groove-replaced I am sure by spreading belly oil on my growing belly.  This spring, as I experienced a small cleanse with my liver flush, I started back with the skin brushing.  You can obtain one of these brushes at a health food store.  To use it, you brush your dry skin, always stroking toward your heart.  Make sure to do your extremities (i.e. your feet and hands) and along your sides.  The skin brush is not suitable for the skin on your face, neck or breasts (they are too sensitive).  I have seen a smaller brush that is made for doing your face and neck though which would be fun to try.  It's fun to see how well your circulation is flowing by how red your skin turns after brushing.  I always turn bright red just about everywhere when I am juice feasting.   I have noticed a better overall texture to my skin while doing this practice as it removes dead skin cells.  I try to rinse my brush after using it and it is always dry by the next day.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video HostingAnd the Neti PotOh how I love the Neti Pot.  This too was an old ritual that faded, but happily has found its way back into my life thanks to motivation from my yoga teacher training.  The neti pot is a purification ritual that involves running warm salt water through your sinuses with the little pot.  My breathing passages are so much clearer while doing it and I can totally tell if I miss a morning of doing it.  If I miss the morning, I usually do it in the afternoon or evening. I think the process has been moving out some toxins over the past few weeks off and on in combination with cleaning up my diet so much over the summer.  My ears have been phasing in and out of feeling a bit plugged up and one night I got a full on ear ache.  Ouch!  It was horrible, but thank God-Us, it lasted only a short time.  I am hoping this will pass soon.  Detoxing is not really fun to go through, but I am happy to be ridding my body of all this stuff so that I can be a healthy person.   Did anyone check out the link to the Angela Stokes song I put the link to awhile back?  I love the verse"When your stomach hurts, when your colon aches because you're eating SAD (standard American diet).  Simply remember to eat more raw foods and then you won't feel so BAD!"  We were watching the you tube of it today and after the first time through, Rowan said "more song."  Very cute. 
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video HostingAnyhow, these rituals make me feel groovy and I hope maybe I have inspired you to give one or both of them a go!

Lavender wands and Yarrow Oil

Here is a little bit of what I have been up to over the summer.   

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video Hosting
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video Hosting
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video HostingThe lavender wands were something that I had been wanting to try for several years now.  Our lavender that we planted a few years ago was finally big enough to yield to a project like this and so I just had to try it!  I started small and only tried two just to get a knack for it.  It is best to start when the lavender stem has only one to two flowers open on it.  The first two rows are the trickiest to weave, but after that it is pretty smooth sailing.  I did find that you can't let them sit too long before finishing them up because they get brittle.  I learned the hard way and a couple of the stems broke on me as I was weaving.  Aimee (who was up for a visit at the time) suggested that maybe if they were stored in a plastic bag they would have retained some of their moisture.  Next year I would like to make many more since they are fun, pretty, and I think they would make nice gifts.  The story I tell myself is that when I am not traveling out of town every week, I may have a bit more energy to do more.  We'll see how accurate that is next summer! 
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video HostingI am sorry that I didn't take more pictures of the process of making yarrow oil.  This is the second time I have done it and it is marvelous stuff.  Basically I grab a ton of flowers (when in bloom), leaves, and stems.  I then macerate them and put them in a big jar and cover them in a blend of vegetable and olive oil.  I like to put the jar out in the sun and let its energy and heat draw the properties from the herb into the oil.  After a few weeks, I strain the oil and this fall or winter I will mix the oil with bees wax and pour it into chap stick tubes.  It is the most awesome remedy for dry, chapped winter lips!  My brother in law, Jon, loves the stuff!  I have hooked him up with many tubes.  We love to give it away to friends and family. 

Summer fun for the boys

Hammock fun

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video HostingAnd cool sand creations
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video HostingRowan loves to help wash down the picnic table and then will happily wash his bike for another 15 minutes!
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The progression of the kid's garden

We also thought it would be fun to make a kid's garden this year since we didn't have the space in our lives to plan a vegetable garden. 

One half of the garden was planted with petunias and red salvia and our big comfrey plant.  The other half contains a bamboo tepee which we planted moon flowers, morning glories, and nasturiums at its base.  It has been a lot of fun to watch it grow.  I am a little bummed that now that some of the flowers are in bloom, that they don't stand out as much as we were hoping out of the huge leaves.  Oh well, they are still beautiful and its been a fun learning tool.  We also saw a hummingbird out there over the weekend which was nice.  And Dad, this is where we would like to take you up on helping us set up the bird feeders!   So, without further ado, here are some photos of its progression.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video Hosting
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video HostingAs you can see in the last picture, there is an overgrowth of purslane growing among the flowers, but I can't bring myself to "weed" it out as I have been making lots o' green smoothies with it.  I have heard that it is a source of omega 3s.  Very cool.

Why be indoors when you can be out of doors?

I have never actually seen this quoted by Charlotte Mason, but I heard that is what she said and ever since I heard it, it's really stuck with me.  Therefore, I really wanted to create a situation where we were outdoors a ton this summer. 

In order to facilitate this, handyman Steve built us a picnic table.  It has been a huge resource to us in the ability to remain outdoors.  We eat almost all of our meals on it.  I often fold laundry on it.  I studied for my sanskrit exam on it.  I have hung out with friends and with the boys on it.  I really am so thankful for it.  We chose to make it 8 foot long so that lots of folks can fit on it at once.  Here is one picture of its start and one of it completed.

These are the top boards set up for staining.  I think you can see in the picture how Steve routed the edges all around to make them nice and smooth.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video HostingThe completed table sitting in the shade of our tulip tree.
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video HostingIn addition to the picnic table and because both boys love playing in the sand so much, we decided to make a new sand box 8'x8' in measurement.  Here is a photo of it surrounding the old sand box.  It has now been filled with new sand and we are still waiting for a chance for Steve to build a seat on each corner. 
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video HostingWe also made a kid's garden, but those photos will have to wait until tomorrow, so be sure to stop back by!

Beet Red Goddess

There has been a lot of juicing going on around here lately.  That and green smoothie making.  I alternate one or the other on most days.

I have two favorites.  One is called the "Green Goddess" and it contains the juice of cucumbers, apples, celery, lemon, romaine lettuce, and I throw a dark green such as kale in for good measure.

The other fave is beet, carrot, apple, and ginger.  It is pictured below in all of its glory.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video HostingHere is another shot of it straight out of the juicer.  I love the way the different juices dance and swirl in color and foam.
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