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I was thrilled to see that Rachael Jayne Groover has released her book, Powerful and Feminine – How to Increase Your Magnetic Presence and Attract the Attention You Want.

If you’ve followed my blog, you will remember that I posted a link to a video from Rachael Jayne Groover, founder of The Yin Project,  as she discusses and teaches women how to increase their sense of attractive presence. (Link to the blog post – Increasing Your Feminine Radiance and Power).

I have admired Rachael Jayne’s work … she is a beautiful example of what she teaches.  Her work is about letting go of false projections, those characteristics that we “want” people to think we have, and claiming our quiet confidence and power so that we radiate our feminine beauty in a deeply authentic, loving, and naturally attractive way.

Rachael Jayne Groover is offering two gifts – videos of her demonstrating the tools she writes about in her book and also a workbook to help you practice the lessons in the book.  If you order the book from Amazon and then send an email, you will receive these gifts.  (Details here) (UPDATE 09-04-12:  This link seems to no longer work)

If you would like to read the first chapter, Amazon has it posted to read for free, on their Kindle edition of the book (you can read the Kindle books on your computer if you don’t have a Kindle).

To see the chapter, look at the right side of the Amazon page and click on the link – Read the First Chapter Free  – Powerful and Feminine: How to Increase Your Magnetic Presence and Attract the Attention You Want.

I’ll share my thoughts on the book, once I’ve received it and given it a good read.  I’m already watching the mail, and I’ve only placed the order a few minutes ago.  I think I need to learn a little patience.

Here’s to your natural beauty and attraction!

Patti

(The Amazon links are in affiliation with Amazon.com)

Last night, as Chris and I were walking in the back meadow, near the woods, we discovered a mulberry tree.  We had been looking at a wild blackberry bush and talking about when the blackberries might be ripe when Chris looked up and saw a nearby tree covered with what appeared to be blackberries.

After some discussion and examination of the berries on the tree, we decided that they must be wild blackberries, or at least a close cousin of the blackberry.  Chris ate a couple and declared them to be good.  I was praying that they weren’t poisonous.

Once home, a little research revealed that the berries were not blackberries, but mulberries.  More research showed that they are quite rich in resveratol, a natural anti-oxidant, along with an abundant amount of vitamins.  According to nutritiondata.self.com, mulberries contain significant amounts of Vitamin C and K, as well as good amounts of Vitamins E, B6, Thiamin, Riboflavin, and Niacin.  They also contain a good amount of fiber, iron, minerals, protein, and even Omega-6 fatty acids.

We found that the mulberries are sweet, but mild tasting.  Picking them was very easy.  I held a large bowl under the branches and sort of swiped the berries into the  bowl.  The ripe ones just fall off with very little effort.

Ripe mulberries are a dark blue-purple-black (see photo).  The underripe ones are still red or pink and are a little too tart (there are a few of them in the photo, too).  The white berries should be completely avoided and considered possibly dangerous – I was not able to verify the accuracy, but I read several internet reports that the white, unripe mulberries will cause great stomach and gastronomical distress and can also be a mild hallucinogenic.  That was enough warning for me and didn’t really matter because the underripe ones are very firmly attached to the tree and not easily picked.

Mulberries are very fragile and last only a day or two in the refrigerator before they start to get mushy and moldy.  They should be eaten or frozen as soon as possible.  They can also be used in recipes and will substitute for most recipes that call for blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, or most any small berry.

I have found another reason that mulberries aren’t sold in stores … well, three reasons, actually.  First they come firmly attached to their green stem.  You’ll see them in the photo above – little lime green stems that have to be clipped, cut or otherwise removed from the berries.  (Not necessary if you are going to cook and strain the berries, such as when making a jelly or a juice.) It’s a LOT of work to remove the stems from each berry and I hope you have someone to have a good conversation with to help you pass the time while you are de-stemming each and every little berry.

Second, the berries are so delicate that even gently touching them stains your hands and clothing deep purple.  I found that wearing gloves and an old shirt while working with the berries was about the only way to keep your hands and clothes from turning splotchy purple.

And third, mulberries have lots of tiny bugs – usually tiny white aphids – on them.  You won’t notice them until you get them home.  They are supposedly harmless to eat, so don’t worry if you ate a few mulberries while you were picking them.   To get rid of the bugs, just put the berries in a big bowl or pan and generously cover them with fresh water.  Let them sit for at least 10-15 minutes.  Skim off any floating bugs.  They will be mostly very, very tiny but you’ll know them because they do squirm.  Then rinse the mulberries thoroughly several times.  Oddly enough, the berries hold up quite well during the rinsing process.  I even used the sink aerator to spray them.

If freezing them, let them dry a bit on paper towels, them bag them and put them in the freezer.  They will freeze well, and should last well in the freezer.  Thawed mulberries will be good for cereal or ice cream toppings, smoothies, or for baking.

If using them fresh, be sure to use them in the next day or two.  Keep them refrigerated, although they will not store for long even in the refrigerator.  Use them also for cereal or ice cream toppings, bake them in muffins or cakes, make jam or jelly, eat a few fresh ones, or you can do like I did:  make a delicious fruit smoothie.

Enjoy!

To your good health,

Patti

My last blog post was about the pleasure of baking bread. The recipe I used was from Mother Earth News and had almost no kneading, yet did not have the long rising times of typical no-knead bread recipes.

I promised to post the link to the recipe online if Mother Earth News had it posted (I got my recipe from the paper magazine.) I found it!

Here is the link: Homemade Bread – Truly Easy and Delicious.

The recipe I used is about half way down the page and is called Basic Sandwich Bread Recipe.  I followed the recipe, except that I substituted about 1/2 cup whole wheat flour for 1/2 cup of the unbleached all-purpose flour.   It was an easy, yet satisfying process, even though it is an almost no knead bread recipe.  The bread was delicious and sliced in thin slices that held together well and were perfect for the panini sandwiches that I made.

The recipe is part of an article that has good information on yeast and bread making and several other recipes.  You will likely enjoy the whole article if you are interested in baking bread.

The recipes are by William Rubel, who has written a book called Bread: A Global History which will be released September 2011.   (This is our Amazon link – you can preview the book.)

Mother Earth News also has another article on Baking No Knead Bread – Five Minutes a Day to Fresh Baked Bread.

These recipes (Five Minutes a Day to Fresh Baked Bread) come from the book  Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François.  I have really enjoyed this book.  The recipes are different from the Basic Sandwich Bread Recipe even though they are both no knead or almost no knead bread recipes.  With the Artisian Bread in Five Minutes a Day recipes, you will mix the dough for a long rise, sometimes overnight or many hours.  Most of the recipes call for then storing the dough in the refrigerator to bake a small batch at a time.  Another unusual process with the Artisian Bread book is that most of the recipes call for putting water in a tray in the oven with the bread which causes the bread to “steam cook.”  Very nice, and you will always have fresh bread, but for the first baking you may need a lot of patience, as it will probably be at least the next day before you can actually have finished baked bread to eat.

I hope this gives you a bit of direction on very easy, very delicious bread recipes that you can make without a bread machine.

Enjoy!

Patti

(Links to books and images are in association and by permission of Amazon.com)

We’ve watched a few episodes of The Waltons this last week.  I don’t watch much TV, so when I do watch a program, I find myself totally absorbed.  I’m even fascinated with the commercials.

I like The Waltons, the earlier episodes at least.  I especially like Olivia, the mother.  She moves with quiet grace and in spite of the long days of labor and her simple clothing, she is beautiful.  More than that, I like the loving way she does everything.  All of her chores are done with an expression of love.

After watching the Walton family in their simple, yet very fulfilling lives, I was inspired to bake some bread.  I had a recipe for Mediterranean Tuna Panina sandwiches, and I wanted to use a special bread.

I baked a recipe from Mother Earth News.  It was for a basic sandwich bread and I followed the recipe except that I substituted 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour for part of the unbleached all-purpose flour.  The recipe was very easy and involved almost no kneading.  I felt a little like Olivia Walton while I was making it.  Baking bread for my family was a good way to express love.

After stirring the flour, milk, yeast, butter, and egg together, the dough was turned onto a floured surface.  Then the recipe called for me to wash and wet my hands and use my wet hands to turn the dough a few times to be sure it was all mixed.  I was a little skeptical of how this would work, but was really pleased with how well and easily the dough handled with wet hands.  The dough was then placed in a bowl, allowed to rise, the air gently pressed out and the dough fitted into a bread pan for the second rise, then baked for an hour.

I’m one of the seemingly few people who still use my bread machine on a regular basis, so it was refreshing to bake bread successfully without using it.  The texture was good and the flavor just right as a background for the sandwiches.  It sliced evenly and easily.

Mostly, though, I liked the experience of the turning and shaping of the dough with  my hands.  I liked watching the bread rise in the glass bowl.  The fragrance of baking bread brought the family into the kitchen to see what was baking.  I liked slicing the bread into sandwich slices, one by one.

I still feel peaceful and satisfied from baking the bread the old-fashioned way.   If Mother Earth News posted the sandwich bread recipe online, I’ll try to find it and post the link so that you can enjoy this simple, easy recipe, too.

And yes, that’s a photo of the freshly baked bread.

In peace,

Patti

Sometimes we hear a few words, have a chance interaction, or get an unexpected result and suddenly our world shifts, our perspective changes and we feel the impact of something powerful.   We emerge lost in thought, awed, perhaps confused, or perhaps glowing with sharp clarity.  From the experience, we’ve become a different person.

These experiences are called defining moments.  They are different from a wedding, a birth, a new job – those are just important dates on the calendar.  Defining moments happen swiftly, without warning, and leave us changed in some way.

You can even have a defining moment without being fully aware of it’s importance.  Maybe your red hair makes you  feel glamorous now because in sixth grade, a friend happened to say your hair was just like a beautiful movie star’s.  Or maybe you heard your aunt comment on how awkward your piano playing was and you never felt the same about playing.  Perhaps you saw a couple exchanging sarcastic words and you suddenly realized with deep gratitude how your spouse always speaks to you with respect.  Maybe something happened and you discovered courage or strength that you would never have thought possible.

The defining moment can come from a comment, a line in a book, a scene, an event, a different outcome … the source is not the issue.  The issue is that in that powerful moment, whether we realize it at the time or not, we have changed.  Our definition of ourselves or of our world has shifted.

As I thought about the concept of defining moments, I began to remember some of my own.  Those moments when I almost said “Ah ha!” out loud, as well as those moments when the wave of change occurred and I didn’t quite know what was happening.  They were often seemingly small things, like reading an email and having one sentence jump out because it so clearly illustrated a trait that I had not wanted to admit that my friend had, yet there it was and I saw that it always had been there.   I even had a defining moment tonight when I clipped my dog’s nail too close and she yelped and her nail bled.  I’ll take much more care with the clipping from now on.

Defining moments can help us understand ourselves better.  When a moment seems to surge with powerful impact, it’s time to pause and reflect.  It’s an opportunity for self-awareness. We can even search backwards for the moments and maybe discovering the moment of change will help us to break a pattern or belief that is holding us back today.

I see now that the old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is just plain wrong.  Words can alter us in potent and sometimes permanent ways

Next time you hear or see something and feel a strong inner shift, or even feel like saying “Ah ha!”, take the time to reflect on it.  You’ve likely just experienced a defining moment.  Meditate on the moment and you may be awed at what you discover.

In peace,

Patti

It’s early June now in the gardens.  While most of the other plants are in the early growing stages, the strawberries are beginning to ripen.  I’ve been pulling weeds from the strawberry patch and watching, thinking, waiting.

A few days ago,  I moved away a leaf and there, underneath, was a large, brilliant red, fully ripened strawberry.  The first strawberry of the season;  it was magnificent and unexpected.  I looked at it for a moment, feeling such a quiet, reverent joy that I hesitated to pluck it from the plant.

When the moment was suddenly right, I pulled it from the vine and carried it inside the house, cradled in my dirty gardening gloves, to show my husband.  Then I took it to the sink , rinsed it with clear, fresh water, and ate it.

There was a brief moment when I could taste sun, rain, shades of red, and sweet juicy fruit.  In that fleeting instant, I was connected with the energy of growing, changing, nurturing, and something deeper, ancient, – the feeling of connected spirit stretching without boundaries of time or dimension.

That feeling faded almost as soon as it began and I’m glad that at that moment I was present enough to experience it.  One or two seconds of wonder.

So that was the first strawberry of June.

With joy,

Patti

P.S. The photo above was taken in my garden this morning.  Looks like it will be a good year for strawberries. 🙂

Lately, I’ve been thinking about some of my dreams and plans that I’ve had for a long time.  I’d really like to experience them, yet the dreams stay in some foggy vision far in the horizon of my own life line.

There’s always a reason, of course (take your choice) … the timing is not right  …  I need to learn more … there is not enough time … I might mess up and make a public fool of myself … someone else’s needs are more important …  there is not enough money …   I could go on because the excuses are almost endless.

Note that I changed the word reason to excuses.

Fabienne Fredrickson wrote an article that I found very meaningful:  Make a Decision and “The Way” Will Show Up.   She made several points that seemed to resonate with me.

One of the biggest points for me personally was  when she said that the people who succeed stop “over thinking.”   That is a real issue with me.   I tend to analyze, research, find 100 different possibilities, list all the problems that may occur, identify another 100 things that I need to learn, and then do nothing because I can’t decide what the “best” course of action is.

Actually, that was one of her other points:  Action. Successful people simply make a firm decision and then start taking steps to accomplish it.  They have learned how to decide to do something and then do it. They  stop “over thinking”,  stop focusing only on the obstacles, and they just take action.

There is a lot of power in making a firm decision to do something.

Rich Schefren, a successful entrepreneur and life coach,  adds another perspective:
‘You have to move before you think you’re totally ready. You will learn as you go. You must realize that.  It’s the only way to really get the knowledge that you need. So remember that. Move before you’re ready.”

Think of this:  maybe it isn’t your dreams that are stuck on hold.  Maybe it’s you stuck on holding them back.

With peace,

Patti

Sometimes our sense of empathy can be too strong.  Just being in the same room with a negative person can leave us feeling depressed, vulnerable, stressed or, at best, vaguely sad.  No matter how hard we try, we end up being deeply affected by the negative person’s emotions.

Dr. Judith Orloff, author of Emotional Freedom, calls this being an emotional sponge.  If you find that being with certain people, or in certain crowds, can leave you exhausted, emotionally shaken, and overwhelmed, then you may be a classic emotional sponge.  You are absorbing the emotions, both  negative and positive, of another person.

According to Dr. Orloff, there are several methods for staying centered and unaffected by the stressful emotions of others.

• Move at least 20 feet away from the negative person.  Have enough distance that you feel relief.  Change seats if you need to.  Yes, Dr. Orloff is giving you permission to simply keep ample space between you and the negative person.
• Visualize a white light around your entire body, like a shield that repels negativity.    Dr. Orloff’s suggestion is similar to one that a friend taught me:  visualize a pink fog energy or mirror between you when you are talking to a negative or rude person.  Allow love and concern to permeate the pink fog, but all negative words and actions will stay on the other side of the mirror.  The main idea with both methods is to have some sort of energetic barrier that does not allow the negative words or actions to come into your own space.
• Place your palm on the area of your body, usually your solar plexus, where you feel the most tension or pain from dealing with the negative person.  Send love and soothing kindness to the area.  Continue until you feel a softening and a release in the area.

Dr. Orloff even theorizes that many people suffering from chronic fatigue may actually be suffering from being a chronic emotional sponge.

One other recommended technique is to use your tendency to absorb emotions to your advantage.  Seek out positive people and places.  Listen to upbeat songs, programs, and read happy-outcome news articles.  Imagine the negative emotions vaporizing from your body as the positive emotions fill you with light and h0pe.

There are many other practices from other teachers and healers to help you let go of negative emotions once you’ve absorbed them.  A simple one would be to take a moment to breathe in love – picture it as golden and almost magical – hold it in your heart space, and then breathe it out, letting it radiate all around you.  It’s hard to hold on to negative emotions when you are feeling love.

Next time you are in a situation where for no apparent reason you begin to feel nervous, tense, achey, dull, angry, or sad, then pay attention to the people around you.  Are you absorbing their negative energy?

Recognition is the first step to healing.  If you realize that you are too freely picking up another’s energy, then stay present, breathe, and see if using one of the above tools helps to protect you or to let the negative energy dissipate from you.

I think I like Dr. Orloff’s first option the best, though …. just keep distance between yourself and the negative person so that you don’t get near their energy in the first place.  You’ve been given permission to peacefully avoid that chronically unpleasant person.

We can’t and should not try to control anyone else’s emotions.  We should stay 100% responsible for our own feelings, though, and learn as best we can to not allow someone else’s sour outlook on life affect our own.

I know, I know.  Sometimes it’s easier said than done.  Keep trying.  You may be surprised at your own success.

In peace and with radiant love,

Patti

Worry and anxiety are unpleasant.  They make us uncertain, nervous, unable to relax, and often keep us from making needed progress.  Worrying too much can keep us from enjoying our lives and can make it nearly impossible to make important decisions. At best, worrying can make us restless and unable to fully concentrate.  At worst, it can cause insomnia, physical illness, rash behavior, embarrassment, and keep us trapped in mind movies that play out all sorts of tragic scenarios.  We can worry so often that it becomes a habit – the worry habit.

I’ve had many times in my own life where I carried the heavy, haunting, turbulent bowl of worry.  “What if…?  What if …? ” The words and the possible answers would play in circles, keeping me the captive observer and participant.

In time I’ve learned to let go of worry.  It still appears now and then, but I am better able to recognize it and dispel it before it can turn into something bigger and more energetic than me.

My first defense is meditation.   By learning to meditate through yoga, dance, art, journaling, and of course,  the classic meditative form of breathing and stillness, I have found that I can find a quiet, still center that is deep, endless and powerful.

After studying Eckhart Tolle and reading his profound work, “The Power of Now”, I also learned to let go of the future (and the past) and to live fully in the present moment.  It’s hard to create worrisome future events in your mind when you are fully present and experiencing your current world.

Another tool that I use against worry is hard to define, but I’ll describe it as a feeling that I can face and get through anything.  I certainly don’t imply that I feel that I’d necessarily be able to conquer anything or even to gracefully handle everything.  Probably because of having begun to find my center of peace and also learning the ability to switch my focus back to the macro present, however difficult it may be, I have learned that moment by moment I can make it through just about anything.  And if one moment does arrive that I simply am not strong enough to cope with, then I have confidence in God.  I’ll just turn it over to God and I’ll follow along until I feel the protection, healing, and new perspective that He brings.  So I’ve got it covered, one way or anther, I guess.

I’d like to say that I’ve mastered these methods and know them so well that I carry a center of peace with me always.  I don’t.  I still have certain situations, people, and unexpected events that cause me to worry too much.  The secret is recognizing when I’m worrying so that I can consciously begin to dissipate it.  Sometimes I’m pretty far into my self-made future disaster scenes before I catch myself.  I am still a little awed, though, at how calm and confidence can return when I consciously direct it to.

Thomas  Borkovec, Ph.D., a psychologist and respected expert in the field of worry and anxiety, has two other methods that may help you with worry. He recommends setting up a specific time of the day, 30 minutes to an hour, and marking it as your worry-free zone.  During this time period, you brush aside all worries as they surface and consciously focus on anything other than the problem.  This is especially good when you are exhausted from worry – the time-out gives your mind a rest.

Dr. Borkovec also suggests trying the opposite: setting a worry-zone time.  You simply set a time of day for all the worrying. When a worried thought comes up during the day,  you set it aside for later.  You allow full-blown worry only during the designated worry-zone time.

Perhaps one of these methods will be of use to you if you find yourself worrying too much. Letting go of worry is a pretty joyful and freeing experience.

In peace,

Patti

At the gas station down the road from my office, gas prices had dropped to $3.77 a gallon one day this week.  Within a day, the price was back to $3.94 a gallon.   I haven’t a clue why the price jumped up almost $.20 in one day.  Nor can I explain exactly why the price of gasoline has been above $4.00 here in northern Indiana.

When it comes to saving money on gasoline, one of the most effective methods is to simply use less gas.  Don’t take as many car trips.  Combine errands into one trip.  Use the phone to call stores to see if they have the item you want, rather than just driving to see.  Ride a bike, walk, share a ride, or take public transportation.  You might even just stay home.

I calculated that whenever I drive “into town” from my home in the country, the round trip takes about a gallon of gas and costs at least $4.00, or the current price of a gallon of gas.  I’d have to add in the other wear and operating expenses of the car to get a real cost.   So every time  I can eliminate an extra trip into town, it’s a $4.00 savings.

The shifts are conscious, but subtle.  For example, instead of going to the grocery store on Saturdays, now I often buy groceries on the way home from the office.   Whenever I know I am stopping at a certain store, I ask my husband and son if they need anything, with the thought of saving them a trip.   I also have a list on the refrigerator for hardware, grocery, and home repair items.  If I have to make an unplanned stop at or near a store, I can call and ask to have the list read to me or to have it sent in a text to my phone.  Not only do these shifts save gas and wear on the car, but they save a good amount of time, too, and force me to be more organized and to do more long term planning of shopping and errands.

It is enjoyable to think that eliminating one or two trips a week will end up not only saving me time, but will save up to $32.00 a month in gasoline.  I also like the thought that I’m contributing to cleaner air and less dependency on foreign oil.

Learning new driving habits, such as learning to let up on the accelerator instead of using the brakes, using cruise control, accelerating slowly from stop signs, and more, is also a powerful way to save money on gas.  I have posted a detailed article on how I changed my driving habits and greatly increased my car’s miles  per gallon, How I Increased My Gas Mileage by Almost 26% (Posted on TheFatdollar. com)

I hope the price of gas comes down and stays down.  In the meantime, I’ll keep challenging myself with new ways to use less gas.  I enjoy it.

In peace,

Patti