Martha Stewart

Clean It Like You Mean It

Posted by Judy Moon

Posted by Judy Moon

Spring is in the air! Nature around us is exploding.In Chinese medicine, Spring is a time of renewal after the long dormant winter. Bulbs are pushing their way through the soil making their long hard journey towards the nourishment from the sun.

Just as the sap in the trees shifts its flow upward, emotions and energies in our bodies can make their way towards the surface and express themselves sometimes unexpectedly. We also know it as “Spring Fever”.

I have been “swept up” by Spring Fever. I was feeling the urge to do some spring cleaning. This past weekend I washed all of the windows in my house and all of the curtains. I was cleaning holding the intention of “inviting more clarity in to my life”. It stirred a question in me –

“How can I Spring Clean My Mind and My Life?”

Spring cleaning is all about taking inventory, clutter clearing, organizing and refreshing.

1. Take stock – what’s working and what’s not? What really rocks in your life right now? Do more of that. What is draining you? Eliminate those things

2. Clutter clear – get rid of bad habits, unhealthy relationships, negative self talk and beliefs

3. Organize – make some lists and get a game plan. How will you accomplish some of that clutter clearing? Set goals, write it down make it happen, get a buddy to keep you accountable, shut off your phone and take a break from your email occasionally.

4. Try something new/plant new seeds – now that you have created some space in your mind, body and spirit there is room for some growth- try a new recipe, try a new cuisine, walk to work a different way, take a class, or do absolutely nothing if that’s a new concept for you.

Spring is a great time for bodywork and acupuncture – it can help with balancing of the spring energy and facilitating relaxation.

What’s your favorite Spring Cleaning ritual?

Sources:
Acupuncture Today
Huffington Post
Acufinder.com

 

Creating Calm through Crafts

Posted by Judy Moon

Image Map

Posted by Gwyn MacDonald

I’m making a skirt for a friend of mine. She’s turning 2, (so it’s a small skirt, heehee) and the party is this weekend. I’m a bit behind in my sewing and was starting to feel a bit of stress that I wouldn’t get it finished in time.

Then I realized that it wasn’t so much about getting it done on time, it was the yearning to get my hands back on the beautiful, snuggly fabric and my foot back on the sewing machine pedal! I LOVE to sew! There are many reasons why, but one of the best is that my brain is purely focused on the task at hand. No noise and clutter in there when the iron is steaming away and the needles are flying! It’s the same reason I love to garden. Clear, quiet mind.

Then I remembered an article I read a few years ago in a Martha Stewart mag. The author was Lisa Borgnes-Giramonti, an embroidery artist and writer. Even though it was short and sweet, it had an impact. She talked about the connection between crafting and other pleasurable, very focused activities and well-being. To paraphrase a psychologist she interviewed; when we create (craft or garden or cook, etc.) our mid-brains become engaged by the activity and the temporal lobe can’t focus on the usual anxieties that plague most of our brains relentlessly. And viola! Calmness settles in.

There is much research and many interesting articles out there with much more science behind them then my little blog post, but I thought I’d try to inspire you all to get back to that project you put down last year. Or take a class that you’ve been putting off. Write that poem, crochet that blankie! Or just fix the button on your favorite coat. It’s all important. We’re hibernating here in this deep, dark winter, we might as well be creating calm!

Cheers!

P.S. Check out Stitchlinks.com, a U.K. organization that works on helping folks with depression and other health issues enhance their well being through knitting. VERY cool!

It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

Posted by Judy Moon

Image Map

Posted by Judy Moon

When October rolls around, it means one thing to me…Pumpkins!!

And of course the switch from a martini to a Manhattan before dinner. I’m not sure how that personal rule of mine started but so it is.

Back to pumpkins.

I LOVE pumpkins. I love the shapes, I love the colors, I love the process of picking them out, (my husband Joe is a patient man, the only thing longer and requires more patience from him is my picking out the Christmas tree), I love the cider donuts they sell at Duffields Farm, where we go for our pumpkins. I secretly want to go through the corn field maze they have there – but it’s kind of for kids and there is a part of me that doesn’t want to be the adult in there freaking out if I got lost. Not worth the stress!

They have all of the cool varieties of pumpkins and gourds like you see in Martha Stewart – the blue ones, the white ones. They just make me smile.

Another cool thing about pumpkin is that it’s a Super Food- a real nutritional super star.

Pumpkin contains:
*Alpha-carotene
*Beta-carotene
*High fiber
*Low calories
*Vitamin C and E
*Potassium
*Magnesium
*Pantothenic Acid

Check out Super Foods- Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life by Steven Pratt, M.D., and Kathy Matthews for even more fun facts about the benefits of pumpkin.

Here is a great pumpkin smoothie recipe that I make. It’s loosely based on the Pumpkin Pie Smoothie Recipe from Oh She Glows.

Great Pumpkin Smoothie
(serves one)
1 c unsweetened almond milk
1Tbs flax seed
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (I used canned but you can use fresh if you are that organized) *I have been known to use a little more since I like it really “pumpkiney” if that’s a word
1/2 banana
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cardamom
dash of cinnamon
dash of nutmeg ( I use 9 grates of nutmeg, I like nutmeg and the number 9- that’s my logic)
1tbl molasses
1 tsp maple syrup or agave
ice if desired

Blend all ingredients in your Vitamix, Magic Bullet, Montel Williams Health Master or whatever machine you blend your shakes in and the most important part is… enjoy the flavor of fall!

Cheers!

Photo Credits // 1 Flickr // 2 Martha Stewart // 3 Oh She Glows // 4 Two Peas and Their Pod // 5 Tumblr