The Sexy Vegan....

This guy cracks me up. Found him on Suzi's blog--thanks, Suzi Blu!

The Power of Love

Carolyn Myss, an awe-inspiring spiritual teacher, tells her experience. She was stuck in a traffic jam in her car. She felt that there was an accident far ahead so she started sending love to the people involved. Many weeks later a guy who happened to be in the car accident showed up at her door. He said, “Remember that traffic jam you were in? I almost died in that car accident. I had left my body and looked down at all the cars. There was a gleaming light coming from only one car. I took the license plate number down so I could track you down. Thank you!” It seems that the majority were probably angry because they were stopped on the street.

Bouncing Back?

Start Afresh with a Liver Cleanse

	Well, it's been over 4 years now since my last child, and I am still awaiting the bounce back. I read a post today about liver function--which was a problem for me during and ever since that last pregnancy. (Good thing Jasen is such a cutie--and worth it!) And today I came across this article, and didn't want to lose it. This is the third time today in my searching I come up with "Beet Juice" as the answer (or one of them). Awwww--I really hate beats. But I can swallow anything quickly. We'll see how it goes. Hear's to your health! aj
	By Cherie Calbom, “The Juice Lady” Cherie Calbom is the author of The Juice Lady’s Guide to Juicing for Health It’s time for those New Year’s resolutions again. If you’ve indulged in too many goodies or drunk too much alcohol over the holidays, you may be feeling sluggish and tired, or noticing that your clothes are fitting a bit too snug. If you are planning on getting in shape, then it’s time to de-junk your body, energize your cells, and lose those extra pounds. I have just the plan for you, my 7-Day, Kick-Start Liver Cleanse and Weight Loss Program. Many people struggle with weight gain and a sluggish metabolism most of their lives, and go through lots of yo-yo dieting unsuccessfully. “So why doesn’t anything really work?” we may ask. We have been tackling the symptom when we should be addressing the cause - weight gain is often due to poor liver function. Congestion throughout the body and a sluggish liver can contribute not only to fatigue and malaise, but also to weight gain, especially around the abdomen, cellulite, and water retention. Eating too much fat, sugar, dairy (mucous forming), salt, alcohol, preservatives, additives, and pesticides causes internal congestion. And all this stuff is hard for the liver to process. The liver is the largest internal organ in the body, weighing between three and four pounds, and it is also the major fat-burning organ. When we eat the wrong foods, the liver will actually make more fat and store the excess. When we cleanse the liver and then eat the right foods, liver metabolism will improve and we start burning fat. As liver function improves, so does energy. With more energy, fitness improves, because we have the ability to excercise more and improve our muscle tone. As we cleanse the body, not only will we shed excess pounds, we’ll also lose some of that lumpy, bumpy cellulite. Two French physicians, Meus-Blatter and Laroche, discovered that cellulite is cause by inefficient removal of wastes from the body. As toxic materials collect between the cells, they are held by hardened connective tissue where they build up to create pockets of water, toxins, and fat that give the skin that unsightly peau d’orange (orange peel skin) appearance. Cleansing the body with high amounts of raw food, and especially vegetable juices, not only helps flush away the lumps and bumps, it also raises cell vitality. The 7-Day Kick-Start Liver Cleanse and Weight Loss Program is one I’ve used successfully for over a decade. It is adapted from my book The Juice Lady’s Guide to Juicing for Health (Avery, 1999). The 7-Day, Kick-Start Liver Cleanse and Weight Loss Program For seven days, eat only a vegan diet, which means excluding all animal products (meat, poultry, fish, dairy). Completely avoid all sweets, soft drinks, alcohol, junk food and tobacco. Drink no more than one cup of coffee per day; avoid completely if possible. Make at least fifty percent of your vegan diet raw food-salads, sprouts, fresh fruit, veggie sticks, and freshly made vegetable and fruit juices. Drink at least 64 ounces (eight, 8-ounce glasses) of purified water daily. To this program add the following foods daily: Hot Water, Lemon Juice and Cayenne Pepper Lemon and cayenne are excellent liver cleansers. Squeeze 1/4 of a fresh lemon in a cup of hot water and add a small dash of cayenne pepper. Stir together and drink upon rising. Fresh Beet Juice Beets are used naturopathically to cleanse and support the liver. Drink from three to eight ounces of fresh beet juice each day. It is best to start the day with this juice. Because of its strong taste, it is best mixed with milder tasting juices such as carrot, cucumber, celery, lemon, and apple. To this mixture, I add freshly juiced ginger root. Carrot Salad Place one cup of finely shredded carrots, or carrot pulp leftover from juicing, in a bowl. If shredding the carrots, they should be a mushy consistency; use a food processor or fine grater. It’s easiest to use the carrot pulp. For the dressing, combine one tablespoon extra-virgin, cold-pressed olive oil with one tablespoon fresh lemon juice. Whisk together. You may add more dressing, but not less. I also like to add a dash of cinnamon to the dressing. Pour the dressing over the shredded carrots (or carrot pulp) and mix well. Green Drink Each day, preferably afternoon or early evening, drink 10 ounces of freshly juiced green drink - cucumber, parsley, spinach, kale, celery, or any other green herb or vegetable. You can add fresh lemon juice and/or fresh ginger root to improve flavour. Potassium-Rich Vegetable Broth This vegetable broth provides important nutrients, especially minerals, your body needs during the cleansing process. Eat one to two cups of the broth daily. 2-3 cups chopped fresh string beans (frozen is acceptable when fresh is not available) 2-3 cups chopped zucchini 2-3 stalks celery 1-3 tablespoons chopped parsley 1 tablespoon chopped garlic Steam the string beans, zucchini, and celery over purified water until soft, but still green and not mushy. Place the cooked vegetables, plus the raw parsley and garlic, in a blender and puree until smooth. Add a bit of the steaming water, as needed, but keep the broth fairly thick. Season to taste with minced ginger, cayenne, vegetable seasoning, or herbs of your choice. Milk Thistle (Silymarin) Take one capsule of the herb milk thistle after each meal. Milk thistle contains some of the most potent liver-cleansing compounds known. Silymarin, the most active ingredient in milk thistle, enhances liver function. It has excellent antioxidant properties that help prevent damage to the liver. Liver-Friendly Foods For the seven days of cleansing, eat an abundance of liver-friendly foods, which include: beets, artichokes, peas, parsnips, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, squash, yams, beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chives, cucumber, eggplant, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, okra, onion, and parsley. Choose organically grown produce as often as possible to avoid pesticides and lighten your body’s toxic load. Colon Cleansing During the 7-Day Cleanse, your body will definitely benefit from colon-cleansing in the form of colonics, or if you want a do-it-yourself, E’s as they are called at Optimum Health Institute (enemas). Flushing the colon can greatly facilitate the elimination of toxins and speed your cleansing and weight loss process. Cheri Calbom is a Certified Nutritionist and author who has appeared on more than 400 television and radio programs. At the end of January she is holding a four-day “Shape up in 2003” weekend at the Sanoviv Medical Institute on the ocean in Baja, featuring gourmet raw foods, a one-day juice fast cleanse, water aerobics, and instruction. For information call 800-726-6848.

What to say today....?

Well, Jairen, my almost 12 year old, and I have been sick. I've been so glad Randy works from his home office and has been able to be around and care for us between his appointments. I've been working on my Male sculpting book tonight, and I put together a little video of a Santa head I made for my grandma for Christmas.

As I've been going through the pictures for the sculpting book, it was fun seeing how the face went from this (first pic) to the handsome hunk at the bottom. It's truly and amazing process.

It was good to work tonight. I found out from my friend Michelle's blog that Heath Ledger had died--so the fragility of life has been on my mind. Then my brother called to say an old friend of ours had died--and his wife had died just 3 weeks previous. With all the powers of the mind, I wonder if he was lonely and just wanted to follow after?

So, I think and ponder for a while, then it helps me to zone out and work--and working on the book was great. There are so many things about life we could spend our days just stunned at the amazingness of it all. Sometimes it's best to just say, Wow, and go on.

Speaking of work, I am beginning to put together a membership site. I'm excited about it, and I really like the format. I love teaching and sharing what I've learned. I'll tell you more as it evolves.

Off to watch Aquamarine with the hubby. He's probably lonely for me. =) Best make each day a good one!

Totally Awesome

Today my son Jasen, age four, said to me, when he saw my goodies from the grocery store--"Mom, you totally got olives!"  Yes, I totally did.  And he said "These green beans are awesome!"  Now why am I not that enthused over vegetables?  I love the vitality and excitement of little children.

Musings and Bucket Lists

First, I'm loving this new 3 column format. You can learn how to do it here.

Next, I'm proud to report that Hurricane Apryl is over, and my art room is now nice and tidy. I'll have to show pics of my new table--it's way cool, and gave me more space--and that made the cleaning easier. And getting rid of a box of stuff to give to the thrift store helped as well.

Tonight we went out to Macaroni Grill, which is great, but I think I'm finally getting my fill. I just discovered Carrabba's--so that's my preference these days. Then after a bit of a run around, we ended up going to see The Bucket List--missing the first 10 minutes. So, Jenna will have to fill me in. What a great show! It's definitely on my list of enjoyable, vibration raising shows.

Sore throats are not fun. I hardly ever get sick--so really, I can't complain about a yearly sore throat--but, they hurt.

Photographing Jasen--always a trick...

This little boy is just too funny. I made this here.
I wanted to get a happy face in the middle, but this is what chance brought us. Which, if any one knows Jasen, is probably more accurate. He'll be sweet and patient for a while, then it's "Hurry and take the @!?& photo!"

I love him.

Finding MY style

Here she is--a painting finally all my own, completely my own style. This is just from my art journal--so the surface is kind of ruddy--but I like the face and I like the clown look. I like the dots are her eyelashes. Click the image for a better view




Here's another shot of the gift canvases I made. They are the smaller width, not gallery. I like both widths.
And here's my intentional project for the day--cleaning up after finishing my sculpt. I used to call my daughter Hurricane Stephanie----hmmmm....I think I know where she gets it. I've realized the trouble though--it's 2 part. First, cleaning as I go simply distracts me--I get really into the piece I'm working on and don't like to stop the "flow"--so changing that is pretty much out. Second--cleaning just BORES ME TO DEATH. So I need to find a way to make it more fun and exciting. Good luck. Mostly, I just get excited about how nice it will look all clean, so I can sculpt or paint and make a mess again. Really, that's what keeps me going. I don't love to clean, but I do love a clean area. I think I see a way my kids can earn some extra money cleaning for me--once they get competent enough (and I decide on a place for everything). There are somethings I'd rather just pay for than do, and cleaning is one of them.

Just me...

I found this picture in a newsletter--I didn't realize it had even been taken! That's the peasant top I wore that has a baby-doll cut--and after I wore it to Church one Sunday--I starting hearing that there was a rumor that I was pregnant. Sheesh--it's just style, baby! Not babies. But I guess, when you have 5 kids, you never know. Anyway, I miss my summer tan, but I still have my fun opalite necklace. I wore it first with Randy on a cool trip to Moab.

Well, we took the plunge and are now VIP members with Gold's gym. We've been warming up to it by soaking in the hot tub there a few nights in a row, as we get over our colds. But those weights are calling to me. I get so much stronger. Time to get back to it--it's just in the New Year air, isn't it?

What am I up to? Well, today I started processing the 360 something pictures I took while making the male fairy. That's right--a new fairy book is in the making. They sure are work to get together--hours and hours--but then it's done. I've been so glad people have really appreciated my sculpting books. It's been fun to go through the pics and see the sculpt progress. I'm hoping to get it done within the week--we'll see. I've been getting a lot of requests for the female face & body book, so I need to get that one going as well.

My favorite part of today was taking pictures of Jasen, my newly 4 - 4 yr old. I'll have to post them when I get them transferred over. He's finally feeling better--but coughs up a storm if he runs around much.

Art progress lately...

a painting for my sister, inspired by Papaya. Click for close up details...


And for my dad...



and yes, Mr. Fairy is all done and en route to his new owner.

8 Years in a few seconds

This is cool. I liked watching his hair and also his blemishes come and go. Pretty funny!

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1710434

Happy moments....

My fun sister in law had these shots taken this summer--and it made me happy to see our happy faces. I've got a great family--and I LOVE TO HAVE FUN! This is me, my brother Randy, sister in law Liz, and brother Jared, who can't find the camera. ;)

Then me & Jenna, having a serious conversation, apparently, and my cute boys in the background. I'm almost always playing with their hair--they are good to not get too bugged! ;)


As far as work goes, I'm almost ready to send off my commission sculpt. I'll take pics tomorrow and get them posted sometime afterward. I LOVE finishing a sculpt--Ta-da--I did it!

Off to check out Suzi Blu!

Yummy Salad Dressing

Becky Johnson's Fall Dressing

1 ripe pear
1 ripe sweet apple
1 C orange juice
1 C water
1/4 C pure maple syrup
1 t Cinnamon
dash cloves

Blend in blender. I added pine nuts cuz I like a thicker creamier dressing most of the time. But it fabulous with or without the pine nuts. I would use this recipe as a beverage also.