Absence Explained

My goodness, it feels like I've been away from the computer forever ~ I've got lots of catching up to do! First things first, today is the last day of my giveaway!! If you haven't already entered, you're running out of time, Simply Inspired Giveaway. I'll be pulling a name the old fashioned way tomorrow, I hope to videotape it and post it here with the winner, fun, right? ;)



New to my Inspiration Earth line - crocheted organic cotton dishcloths, a joy to create and a joy to use!

I've been away from the computer for almost a week now, only checking in for the absolute necessaries. Life intervened, apparently I needed redirecting! ;) I was sick. Although we never call it that in my home, here we call it healing. I get sick once every year or two, and when I do, I'm hit hard! Like not get out of bed for two days, just let me sleep, hard! I'm so grateful for this process though, it tells me my immune system is functioning beautifully, and that my body is being brought back into balance again (if you've no idea what I'm talking about, here's a post I wrote awhile back ~ An Alternative View of Illness) So while felled with an unrelenting headache severe enough to make me want to cry (seems to be my body's choice of detox methods nowadays!), severe fatigue and a head so light, dizzy and fuzzy it threatened to float away ~ I rested. My body, and my mind. I had a feeling it would produce more than a healed body, and it did. :)

I never realized until I started blogging how often I reasses and change my life. Actually, I think this is a much more recent developement, I wasn't always so in tune with myself. By Saturday I was feeling much better, moving slow, but better. Here is what the time of healing afforded me:

My home is my haven. I love being here, so much that I rarely leave. It has been neglected however, and for two days the girls and I did a late, but much needed spring cleaning. Walls, molding, windows, curtains. Everythings is so sparkly clean right now I could cry. My house is now back in order.



I make very little on these guys, but I find it so peaceful and relaxing to create them, I'm going to keep on hooking! :)

 The flower gardens around my house were in a very sad state. Very sad. They've pretty much been fending for themselves so far this year. Yesterday was spent lavishing attention on them, and while not done (I need a fresh layer of chips) they look loved and cared for once again. My gardens are now back in order.

I made a big decision, I will not have a huge vegetable garden this year, for the first time since I can remember. It feels like a chore this season, and I don't do anything that feels bad. To my delight, Jordan and Riley want to  have it as their own garden. So, without all of the energy that goes into it, I shall still be able to enjoy fresh produce this summer. And here I thought I had to choose, ahhh, I forgot the Universe has an answer for everything. :) A decision has been made, one that has been weighing on me.




Along with the heat, came the bugs!!

 I love my shops, and am still willing to invest most of my time and energy into their success. In fact, before the whole healing episode I was in the process of switching over all of my Inspiration Earth products to a new shop on Etsy. For quite awhile now I've wanted the clipboards and green products separate, but it seemed like such a daunting task, I had to wait until the time was right. { pure. simple. organic.} has been born. It was kind of scary, a leap of faith, after all I was just getting regular sales through Smitten, but it was time. I was featured in my first treasury this morning. :) A reaffirmation of direction was made.


I sold my very first bottle of these recently, I was especially thrilled because I was able to refund her some of the crazy expensive shipping!!!



I love blogging. It is my avenue to share what I've learned. I will continue to do that and to follow all of your amazing journeys also. This brings me joy. Now to catch up... might take me a couple of days! ;)

  
I'm not sure what to do about my Artfire shop, leave it for now I guess. It doesn't seem to be doing much of anything... any suggestions here would be nice. Laurie, any luck with  yours? I guess my answer is still pending on that one...




New kale recipe ~ see below!

  Cooking had become a chore, which made me sad. I (usually) love to cook and I adore eating. Trying new dishes is such great fun, an adventure to be had anyday! So, I've revamped my cooking routine, and for the past week has brought me nothing but joy once again. When it's time to prepare lunch, I give it all my energy and focus. I put in my cd pick of the day (I've been listening to mellow James Taylor and Jack Johnson, a bit of Eddie Vedder), sing along and enjoy the process. The table has been set carefully and beautifully. I clean as I go (an added benefit that becomes an act of kindness to whomever has clean up duty that day!) Cooking is now a mindful meditation again, instead of just something to get done. I even have a new recipe or two to share, another kale delight! :) Cooking is back in order.

I'm back to journaling, first thing in the morning after my meditation. It's been so helpful and makes things so crystal clear. It puts me in the same peaceful state as meditating usually does. A comtemplative start to the day helps to direct and guide me. An old love resurrected.



I've sold several of these lately, which makes me very happy! DIY Lemongrass cleaner, the green is spreading!

 Meditating has become focused and peaceful again. Now that the mind chatter has stopped about all the above mentioned issues, I can connect and rest. :)

I've got plans for my shops, new products I want to try, and ideas brewing. My creativity hasn't seemed to be one of the things suffering lately, but I still feel renewed.

 

So, while most people look at illness as a hinderance, a bother, a nuisance, not me. I embraced it, and am amazed at how much it had to show me. Things that are vital to my well being were being neglected. I needed a hit upside the head to see that though! The only way to catch up was to walk away from the computer for awhile, hence my absence. I think many of us realize that once we sit down to the computer, that's it for awhile! Hours can pass, and  there is always more to do. I'm still working on figuring out the best course of action for computer work. There is much to be done daily, and I enjoy it, but I can't sacrifice the rest of my life, so a compromise is in the making....

I'm so sorry that this seemed like a commercial for my Inspiration Earth products, I figure any attention to the new shop is helpful! ;) As a reward, I'll share a new kale recipe I tried today, it was delish, we all loved it!

1 leek (my first time using a leek)

1 bunch kale

1 tsp garlic powder

I cut the leaves and roots off of the leek and sliced the rest. In a tbsp of olive oil I sauteed them until soft but not mushy. Add in the garlic powder and the kale, cover and let cook until kale is soft, stirring often. It doesn't need long, and be careful not to burn. Serve hot with some sea salt... yum yum!! You can use any dark greens, but all I had was kale. Would probably be good with collard greens and I saw dandelion greens at the store and think next time I'll give them a go!

I'm glad to be back Blogger friends. Have a stupendous day! :)