Alll good things are wild and free......

like, ME! lol, sorry guys I have been moving all OVER the place and have been completely neglecting my blog :(   HOWEVER, I make no promises, I don't know how ofter I will be able to post in the next little while because I am studying to become a Doctor of Philosophy in Holistic Health, and so will not have a lot of time for chatting.   I am very very excited about this and hope that I can eventually start giving some awesome tutorials on herbal medicine making along with yummy recipes (I've gone RAW!)   and so I thank you for your patience!


SO, I just had to share this little rant with you because I seem to be attracting really unprofessional businesses on Etsy lately.  BOO.   Most recently I bought a really neat shirt with a quote I loved on it, and 3 weeks later have YET to receive the darned thing.  Why? Because they apparently don't ever LEAVE to drop packages off at the post office..unless their lives depended on it...(and even then I'm not so sure...)   SO, I decided to get my money back and make my OWN version because the more I looked at the shirt the more it bugged me.  I could do it BETTER :)  


Check out the end result:  I am pretty jazzed with the results  :D

Click here to buy your own!

I love the bird and now I think I am going to have to make these in several different colors!

anyways, Have a GREAT DAY!!!!


<3 <3 Laci <3 <3

Homemade Citrus Powdered Deoderant Recipe

I was looking for some powdered deoderant on Etsy when I realized, DUH I can make my own and so I did:)

Here is the recipe I made up and it turned out wonderfully!  And for those who think oh that white powder will just get all over your clothes, think again.  You only use a few pinches and you rub it in really well and its no problem!  This stuff is notorious for being an ALL day relief for stinky armpits, even after a day at the gym so what are ya waiting for get in the kitchen, grab a blender and get to it!


Basic Body Powder

1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup cornstarch

The ingredients below are purely optional but if you want it to smell delicious AND do some heavy duty germ warfare then don't forget to add them!
4 drops peppermint oil
1 tsp fresh lemon zest
4 drops tea tree oil


Throw it all in a blender, seal it tight with a lid and blend for a few seconds to get it all mixed well.
Wait till the dust settles a bit and scrape into a dry lidded container.  when it is time to use simply take a pinch or two and rub it into your skin well and GO!

Publish Post

Keep it dry or it will get clumpy (and if it DOES just re-blend) ... Hope you love it and let me know if you tried it!!!  ENJOY!

Knives, Butterflies, and Roses. This I the PERFECT Shirt!

I just got done sewing this AWESOME wrap shirt and now I wish I had enough to make my own!! I LOVE this fabric and it is SO SO soft!  Check it out by clicking on the pictures below or hop on over to my shop HERE!

Adventures In Raw Food....Raw Cocoa Love Truffles

What can I say?  These are so good they probably wont last the day!  Soft, smooth, and deliciously sweet and guilt free!  try it today!  

Maca is a great Libido booster, Almonds and cashews have been associated with benefits of reducing risk of coronary heart disease.
Here is an excerpt from this website on the benefits of raw cacao:

"*It acts as a stimulant, so that the energy level in your body will receive a boost and you will feel better about yourself.
*  It can also help to reduce chronic fatigue and general weakness caused by stress.
*Raw chocolate and raw cacao can help strengthen your cardiovascular system.
*This special superfood helps to regulate your sleep.
* Most importantly, pure chocolate directly stimulates various neurotransmitters in your brain (such as serotonin) to help reduce depression and to give a sense of euphoria or a sense of well being. Hence, your mood will be uplifted and you will feel better about yourself.
*Raw chocolate has a very high ORAC quotient. ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. This is an important property, as it denotes the ability to absorb free radicals from your body. This can be a very useful concept for helping you to protect your body from carcinogens and free radicals that cause cancer.
* Raw chocolate is also considered as a mild aphrodisiac as it has shown to increase sexual appetite after regular consumption.
* Raw chocolate can also help stimulate your immune system.

Of course, it is important to eat in a raw and organic state, so that these benefits can be derived from it. " 

Need I saw more?  your body will LOVE these, almost as much as your mouth! 

Raw Cocoa Love Truffles
Makes one dozen

Ingredients:
* 1/2 c. raw almonds
* 1/2 c.  raw cashews
* 1/4 c. cacao powder
* 1/8 c. maca powder
* 1/4 c. + 2 TB raw honey or equivalent agave nectar
* 1/3 c. hemp seeds
*  2 TB cold-pressed virgin coconut oil
* 1 tsp vanilla extract  (can use fresh scraped vanilla bean if desired)
*  pinch of pink Himalayan salt
* 1/8 c. extra cocoa powder for rolling

Instructions:
Throw nuts and hemp into food processor and process until finely ground. Add the cacao powder, maca & salt and process again. Pour in the sweetener, coconut oil and vanilla and process until all is combined and sticking together.  This should have the consistency of  fudge batter.   Pour  1/8 cup of  cocoa powder into a bowl.  Powder your hands with cocoa powder and roll mixture into about 1 inch balls in the palm of your hand. being careful not to press too hard.   You may also use other powders of choice to roll with, including maca powder, goji powder, green super food powder, cocoa nibs, or whatever your heart desires!  Refrigerate or freeze for storage (and maximum savoring time!)



ENJOY!!!

Free Scoby Kombucha Babies!

I and my husband have been brewing this wonderful tea for about 6 months and in that time have grown A LOT of extra scoby babies. We realized we had too many and started to throw them away, but were too guilty to do it. They are like sweet little life giving pets and we just couldn't do it! They almost seem to have their own little personality and decided that they were too good for the trash can, SO we decided to offer them here for free. All we ask is that you pay for shipping! It wouldn' t feel right not to add that my original scoby was purchased from another wonderful etsien (kombuchick http://www.etsy.com/shop/Kombuchick ) who also offers her scoby's for free.  I believe that this is a wonderful tradition that should be passed along and it would be wonderful to see people sharing this beautiful healthy brew with as many people as possible.
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~ There is enough for all. The earth is a generous mother; she will provide in plentiful abundance food for all her children if they will but cultivate her soil in justice and in peace. ~ Bourke Coekran
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~ Be generous! Give to those you love; give to those who love you; give to the fortunate; give to the unfortunate - yes, give especially to those you don't want to give. You will receive abundance for your giving. The more you give, the more you will have! ~ W. Clement Stone


click on the pick below to be taken to my shop to order!

Comes with up to 1 cup of starter liquid to start your own brew)
Shipping cost reflects proper shipping of this perishable item)
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Exerpt below from http://www.organic-kombucha.com/teakombucha2.html

Please visit this site or do your own search to find the many many many benefits of drinking this wonderful health tonic!

"Why drink Kombucha Tea?

* Drinking Kombucha promotes good health and helps millions of people with its excellent detoxifying and immune-enhancing
qualities. There are no known negative reactions from drinking kombu tea, except for improper brewing methods.

Its origins are lost in history, but in the earliest records two thousand years ago it was known as ‘the elixir of long life’.

* Kombucha is not just a health tonic; it is a complete therapy.

* Kombucha has proved itself to be a quite remarkable therapeutic drink, made from sweetened tea into which a Kombucha
culture (a symbiosis of bacteria and yeasts) is placed. It can taste similar to apple cider or a refreshing light wine, depending
on the fermentation time and type of tea used.

* There are at least six million Kombucha brewers world-wide.

* Doctors, consultants, and practitioners are now recommending Kombucha to their patients."

MOnday Munchies (a little late :) Portobella Burgers

THIS sandwich/burger is to DIE for!!!!
I am not a huge fan of cooked mushroom anything, but I thought I would try it out on myself and the family... needless to say, it was awesome! I had it on a whole wheat organic bun with tomato, mixed greens, a little ketchup, and slices of avacado) It was so good that my one year old actually took it out of her bread and ate it by itself and didnt even eat the bread...(and she LOVES bread!) I will be making this again tomorrow because I have lots of leftover ingredients, AND because I already want it again :) Thought I would share this keeper with the world! YUUUM!

½ cup ground flax seed
¼ cup hemp seeds
2 Tbsp fresh-chopped parsley
½ tsp fresh chopped thyme ( I use about a tsp of dried when I cant get fresh)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1½ Tbsp braggs aminos
2 cloves minced garlic garlic
½ tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp stone ground mustard
¼ cup chopped walnut pieces
2 medium portobello mushrooms chopped into bite size pieces


In a food processor:
Add flax, hemp, parsley, thyme, oil, braggs, garlic, black pepper, and mustard and process until well blended.  stop and add in the walnuts and mushrooms. (make sure that they are already well chopped before hand or you will end up chopping them into oblivion in the processor... the idea is to keep the nuts and mushrooms in the mix a little chunky for texture..) Pulse a few times in the processor and then mix with a spoon for good measure.   Scrape mix into a bowl.   Take about 3 tablespoons (more or less for size preference) and roll into a ball, and flatten on a heated skillet to make a patty.  Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes on each side till lightly browned and heated all the way through.  patties will never fully solidify on the inside but the creamy texture is DELICIOUS none the less!  serve on a toasted whole wheat bun spread with mayo of your choice, tomatoes, mixed greens, and a few slices of avocado.  I also add about a teaspoon of ketchup :)

Enjoy! 

Secrets...

I feel in a sort of "purging" mood today.  I have been holding some deep feelings in for a LONG time and I think its time to be brave and let them all out.

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My secrets..oh I have so many.... but the ones I feel most compelled to share, the ones that I feel SO guilty about... are the feelings I have had for my family and my life so far...

I always thought of myself as a "good girl".  Growing up had always dreamed about the 10 children I would have.  I always thought about how perfect it would be, how I would have this big wedding with all my family around me and and how I would be such an awesome loving mom.   I was so naive...

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 I got pregnant when I was 20.   The hardest thing was telling my best friend, my mom.  She was crushed.  I wasn't married.  I was so embarrassed.   I didn't get married to my husband (the father) until I was 6 months pregnant.  It was a shotgun wedding with us in pairs of jeans at a little place aptly called The Hitching Post.  Classy right?  We didn't even tell my family until the next day.  My mom was crushed again, I hadn't invited her.  My husband (who is in fact 2 years younger than me) decided to go and join the army 3 months before I was due.  I missed him so badly.  When my daughter finally came, I was so happy, and yet so sad.  The stress of having an emergency c section and my husband gone for the whole thing (she was 5 months old before we got to see him again)  made nursing her extremely painful.  I tried for a little while, and gave up.  I loved her dearly, but I felt so disconnected from her.  I felt like I didn't get to bond with her properly when she was born, and then I didn't even get to share oxytocin with her through nursing her. 

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She started to grow, and soon I had a son.  He was so perfect, and I got to nurse him for a year, just like I had always wanted to to with my daughter.  I started to feel even MORE separate from her.  I felt strangely jealous and guilty and distant from her.  I felt even MORE guilty, as she loved to snuggle, loved to tell me how much she loved me, and it hurt to not have as strong feelings for her as she had for me.. I felt so INADEQUATE. This was not who I was supposed to be.  I was supposed to be super mom, not some guilty loveless shell.   Why couldn't I just LOVE HER??

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She and her brother grew some more, and then my beautiful third daughter came.  She was so happy, always smiling, my little sunshine.  I felt so guilty again, I felt like I loved her more than the first two.  I kept asking myself  WHY??  Why can't I just LOVE my kids all at the SAME TIME?  They are beautiful special sweet spirits that came to me, wanted to be in MY family, and I felt as if i had let them down.   How could I POSSIBLY bring another 7 kids into this world If i can't get a handle on my feelings for the three I already have??  I vowed then that I wouldn't have any more kids.  The stress was just "too much" for a mother of a newborn with two other small children.  I didn't get much sleep.  I hallucinated at night A LOT from lack of sleep.  (Not that I ever SAID anything to anyone about it...) 

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 But life moved on, as it surely does.
One time, I tried to talk about it.  My mother scolded me when I mentioned that I didn't feel like I loved my first daughter as much as the others.  She told me all the things I WASN'T doing that she had done in her own perfect way to raise ME.   I never talked about it ever again.  It just made me feel that much more inadequate and useless.  I KNEW it wasn't right.  I just didn't know how to fix it.  Oh how I wanted to fix it!

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(In retro spect, I probably had SERIOUS post-partum depression and didn't even know it.)

Fast forward  to the present.  I want another baby.  I see everyone around me having babies and OH how i miss it!  My mother gets so exited when my step sisters, my brothers wife, and anyone else is expecting.  She has never been overly THRILLED when I get pregnant.  Its always a "health" issue, about how I should wait till this or that.  How I should "take care of the kids that I already have".  I know she only wants the best for me,  but what about MY dreams? what about the 12 year old little girl inside this 27 year old body who had so many ambitious dreams about how her life would turn out?    I'm afraid.  I am SO afraid of getting pregnant and completely falling apart emotionally.  I am so afraid of telling my mother when I DO get pregnant.  (Don't get me wrong, she ADORES my kids.  She is an awesome grandmother.  She is STILL my bestest best friend and I love her dearly. )
 But what happens when things just don't work out the way you expected them to, when life takes you hurtling in the opposite direction than you wanted to head?  What happens when some of your dreams wither with age and misuse? 

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This is my secret, my ULTIMATE secret....
I would like people to think that I have everything under control, that I AM the perfect mom, that I have everything figured out, that I am SO completely confident in my life and its current direction.....but you know what? I DON'T.  I have absolutely NO idea what is going to happen next and it scares the CRAP out of me.  But you know what else? Despite all of this, despite the emotional roller coaster, the disappointments, the guilt, there is one thing I know for sure. and that is that I am NOT perfect, and really, that's OKAY.
 I will be OKAY.

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I will find my way and everything will end up beautiful and wonderful and more than I could ever have imagined...... and that makes it all worth the journey.

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Hawaii Kawaii T Shirt giveaway!

One of my favorite places (Hawaii Kawaii Shop) is giving away cute t shirts!  Check it out By clicking on the pic below :)

Plushy Attack!

Ok so I've officially got the bug,, the PLUSHY bug!  Having SO much fun sewing these guys that I just can't stop! Check it out:


My Pink Plushy Bowling Set:

My Plushy Clocks and Watches:

and last (but not the last :) Monster stuff:

YAY for fun stuff to sew!!!!!

Blog Feature and a Chance to WIN a $10 Gift Certificate!

I was recently offered a blog feature on the neat little blog called Daffodil Mamma, and was super excited to accept! Hop in over and check it out and mark your calenders to participate in the Handmade With Love Winter Giveaway for a chance to win a $10 gift certificate to my shop!

Maternity In Utero Shirt

Just had fun creating this maternity shirt on Skreened.com!!!  Spent all day drawing and RE drawing this pic and I think it finally worked!

http://skreened.com/zigzags123/in-utero

You can change the shirt style and the colors and its only about 25 bucks with shipping! LOOOVE IT!

The Power of Love

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I am really into the power or intention, law of attraction, and any other names that have been put to it.  This is a beautiful video put together about the Power of Love, and I just wanted to share it with you!

watch it here : www.The Power of Love.com
(ignore the stupid pop up after you try to close out ;)


Also, to learn a little bit more about the Law of Attraction check out this site:  The Secret
I absolutely LOVE this site, and it has a bunch of freebies including a download of the book it was all based on and even more references, visualization tools, games, and even inspirational wallpapers.  this stuff is AMAZING, I don't even get paid to tell you this, this stuff is just THAT amazing!

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Also, while I am on that note, I signed myself up for a free creativity e-course called Creativity 101: Discover Your Creative Genius and it is SO fun!  There is no catch, she offers other courses for a fee but she is giving this one away for free to tempt you and it is SO worth it!  Here is a link to the first lesson so you can get a taste (this page gets sent to your email when you sign up, so shhhh its a secret!)    At the bottom of the page there is a place to sign up for your own course if you like :)

Creativity 101: Discover Your Creative Genius

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  Hope your holidays are magical!


<3<3 Laci <3 <3

AWESOME.

I absolutely LOVE Kathy from Brave Girls Camp, and she has come up with an AWESOME idea.  Finds something AWESOME in your life.  And tell her about it.  Or dtake a picture of you with it.  Anything you are grateful for.   I had many different ideas floating around in my head about what I wanted to share, but as I was opening up some mixed nuts my walnut gave me a small surprise:

needless to say, this little bit of love was AWESOME!  Go share your awesome thing with her too, and you might win an AWESOME online Soul Restoration class!  Head on over and comment and sign yourself up for some FREE amazing daily truths to help you keep your life in perspective, it REALLY makes a difference!!!!

Go HERE to comment for a chance to win , and click below to sign up for daily truths!

Meet Mr Obsolete, my new laptop cover!

So I wanted to make a fun cover for my laptop, and I had seen an etch a sketch cover someone else had make for their brother on another blog, and totally fell in love.  I promised myself that if I ever got a laptop that I would make myself one. As I was finally realizing that dream, I saw a face in the etch a sketch design and decided to "monsterize" it!  check it out:  I would like you to meet, Mr. Obsolete!

Isn't he lovely??!!
I will be putting some velcro under the flap where his tongue is to keep it secure and then I can pull on his tongue to open it!  He is made of blizzard fleece, as the store did not have any gray felt....oh well, hes a softie!

 

I can't believe I can finally BLOG AGAIN!

WOW! It's been a long tme since I was able to get on my blog!  being stuck out in thewoodswith firstdial up and then NOTHING wasso depressing!  Now I have my own cute little laptop and high speed internet and I am SO ready to be back!!!!!!

I am SO SO SOOOOOO grateful for family!  If it weren't for my mom and step dad I would not have been able to do this till next YEAR!  So anyways, it feels great to be back, and I have some really fun things coming up that I can't wait to share with you like a few tutorials and an awesome edition to my shop that will hopefully revamp my sales :)  Missed you guys terribly and hope you will forgive me for my long and hardly explained abscence.  Keep an eye out!

<3 <3 Laci <3 <3