Love on the week-end

"Being in love is so good for you. Often when people are newly in love, things that have been bothering them for a long time get better. Something wonderful is calling the majority of their attention, so they're holding themselves in a better vibrational place, so the stuff they've been wanting all along can now zoom in." -Abraham-Hicks


This weekend, in love with.... (L to R) 
summers coming... the wild dog roses have arrived (smelling so divine!)
Bluebell glens and wild Manx garlic
Coconut-scented gorse and heady, sunshine-y days,
Magnificent sunsets on our doorstep
delicious home cooked vegetarian meals... baking, making, creating.  Yum.

I hope you fall in love this weekend, too!

Sweet change

darlings-
I have never felt so good.
I feel lighter, and fresher.
I can't wait to wake up in the morning and make preparations for a new day


I have lost a kilo, somewhere, from years of being the same (healthy) weight for me- and it feels good to be a little bit slimmer, a little bit more toned, with a hundred times more energy.


Last night I went for a walky-run, very late.  
(we have had blissful weather this past week on the Isle of Man- warm days with fresh breezes but not blow-your-socks-off-the-line as per your average IOM wind) 
At the end, I sat on the wall looking into Port Erin Bay.  
(A few pretty sailboats have docked up here of late for the sunshine, their little lights atop mast and cabin lights on below made me feel mellow.  They were looking at our beautiful promenade, string of lights switched on.  People last night had their windows open, sitting reading, or in the company of their lovely large tv, or in chat with their loved one and/or at laptop)
Sitting on this wall, listening to the waves lick the shore, rhythmically, it was a moment of true blessedness.  Complete luxury.


And an amazing thing I noticed- have checked and re-checked, yup, it's really true- is that... I have completely lost my sweet tooth.  Everything tastes sweet to me- in a true energy type of way, like the way I first began to read the energies that governed a room in feng shui.  quick example: I have onions and peppers in the oven now, roasting- I knew they are not done yet, for I recognised they've not released their inherent sweetness.  And my favourite 'sweet' of all, splenda- is just- a mouth violation.


Does this mean anything to you?  To me this is a major health shift- like, plates- platelets? :) shifting.


I will explain how this relates to feng shui and what's the cause later- unless, dear and clever friends- you do see the link and know where this is going, already.

Women, Food & God- and inner feng shui

Since hearing about it, I've been fascinated by the idea of Geneen's book, "Women, Food and God."  If you've ever wondered if you spend too much energy thinking about food or admonished yourself for eating, reviews highly recommed it.  You can get a sample chapter here...

I read the sample chapter.  And this bit, below, reminded me of what the difference is, in having feng shui in our lives, all around us, but more importantly- within us, and what is not- which I think is the case, for Geneen's client:

(Geneen in response to a client, a lawyer, saying she overeats when she feels "deficient")

Deficiency sounds awful, but is it?  What does it feel like? 
Is it a big hole in her stomach? Her chest? Does it feel like everything
has dropped away and she’s holding on to the edge of a huge abyss
about to fall in? If she stops trying to hold on and lets herself fall, what
would happen? (Remember that all of these are images in her mind.
She’s not really holding onto the edge of an abyss, she’s probably sitting
in a chair. She wouldn’t actually fall anywhere, in her mind, if she
let herself “fall.”) Is emptiness the experience of space or is it something
else? If it’s space and she feels it directly—in her body where it
resides—she might notice if there was anything that is actually scary
  or if it's a story she is telling herself."
 
When you fall- how is the space that supports you?  Are you lifted up on angels' wings, or bounced into a fluffy cloud? At the bottom of your Abyss, are there a team of superheros waiting to catch you and crown you as one of their own?  Once you feel secure that nothing in your environment can harm you and only good energy is coming your way, less demons in general do taunt.



pic:  me n hairy biker Dave Myers at the Isle of Man Food & Drink Festival 2009.

rs

Sweet from Sour

One of those "how unfair!" moments has just happened and I've wondered how to deal with it. One of the fun aspects of having trained in NLP is the ability it gives you to switch focus by asking such empowering questions as, "How else could I look at this?" when you expected a slice of Limoncello cake... but life gives you a squirt in the eye.


Details aren't neccessary, but I'll tell you that I was a complete numpty. It's too easy for me to call myself a failure, a time-waster, and a wee westrel for my silly mistake.

But why should I do that? Even if these accusations have a smidge of truth, it will only make me feel terrible.

There's wonderful power harnessed when you consciously decide what a challenge means to your life experience. Instead of remaining beetroot with dismay, I'm going to ask myself, "What lovely things willl I be able to experience now I have to wait a while longer?" I feel, honestly, as if there is a reason linked in with the universe for this. Explaining it this way helps me feel good. I thank the angels because they were there- I asked them to be- and somehow, even if I can't see it yet, they've really helped me.

Another fun little game was deciding what to do to Celebrate the squirt of lemon. I think I will turn this sour episode into a delicious sweet by baking a Limoncello cake. Recipe below! May even make a list of 100 things I will enjoy doing in lieu of what I was hoping to achieve- whilst it's in the oven.

Limoncello Cake
Serves 8, from Italian Cooking & Living

For the sponge cake:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 eggs, separated
1 1/4 cups sugar
grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the limoncello cream:
9 eggs yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon limoncello
1 cup whipping cream

For garnish:
2 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 1/4 cups sugar

To layer:
6 tablespoons limoncello

For the sponge cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 10” springform pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
Beat the egg yolks and sugar in an electric mixer using the whisk attachment until thick and pale yellow on high speed for 2 minutes.
Reduce to medium speed: slowly add 5 tablespoons of boiling water; the lemon zest and vanilla. Return to high speed; beat for 5 minutes or until thick. Add the flour mixture, little by little, still beating with the whisk attachment.
Turn out into a bowl.
Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold into the egg yolk mixture with a rubber spatula, being careful not to deflate it.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Cool on a rack and slice into three layers with a serrated knife.

For the limoncello cream:
Beat the egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a large stainless steel bowl over a pot of simmering water. Whisk in the limoncello. Whisk vigorously for 5 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and triples in volume.
Remove and let cool over a seperate bowl filled with ice cubes, continue to whisk until completely cooled. Beat the cream until soft peaks form. Fold into the limoncello mixture; refrigerate until needed.

For the garnish:
Beat the cream until soft peaks form in an electric mixture; add 1/4 cup of the sugar by the spoon until all is incorporated; beat until firm. Refrigerate.

Layer the cake:
Place the bottom layer of one cake on a serving platter. Brush with 2 tablespoons of the limoncello using a pastry brush.
Top with one-quarter of the limoncello cream, spreading it almost to the edges.
Continue with this procedure with the second layer, Finish with the top cake layer; turning it upside down first, to brush on the limoncello. Using a metal spatula, cover the top and sides of the cake with the whipped cream.

The sweet and the sour: this is what makes great art. -Ward Jenkins

What does your breakfast say about you?

What does your breakfast say about you...

And help create in your day?

Yang choices include eggs, spicy foods, breakfast meats, smoked salmon, coffee, hot cereals, citrus fruits...

Yin choices include teas, juices, dried fruits and jams, fruit toast, yoghurt, smoothies, pastries, cakes & croissants, cinnamon...

Craving Yin in the morning can indicate a desire to increase the comfort, love and understanding we receive in our life.

Craving Yang can mean we're looking for a day of excitement, new opportunity and insight.

interesting, isn't it?

image 3 from lazy afternoon chez lisen