That’s what I’ve been doing all day anyway. Cultivation! My sprouts were in desperate need of transplanting, and today I finally got it done! I’m going to spare you all the sweaty, dirty details and just SHOW you what I’ve accomplished. And as for the 800 words a day…I’ve been doing some journaling and a lot of random online writing, just not here on my blog. The yoga I’ve been slacking on. I did some more T-tapp, and some breathing (have YOU breathed today? Ha!)

The front of the house, outside my window...great spot, except its SO windy!

Transplanted the lettuce into the new bed I made today

A few sunflowers on the left, sage on the right

Sunflowers!

Tarragon!

Dill! Oh how I LOVE dill and I can't wait till these get big!

The back of the house along the sidewalk, it's gotten greener since it has started to rain

Cucumbers, need to get some stakes up for them soon

Zucchini!

Pretty flower along sidewalk

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My flowers at the front

Kang Kung!

This morning I started wondering if anyone is reading my blog. I don’t do too much in the way of publicizing it, and that is fine with me. The Leo moon side of me LOVES feedback though, so I started feeling a little self-conscious. Maybe that’s why I ended up doing all this writing on my blog instead of my journal. To get past that whole “is anyone even listening” thing. It doesn’t even matter if no one reads this, because the point is that I’m writing. And writing a lot. Consistently. Whoohoo!

That said, if you are reading this, please don’t be shy, and leave a little note like “Hi!” or something. Just for my ego’s delight okay?

Yesterday afternoon was a very active one. I got off work, went home, did a few chores, and then a full session of T-tapp. I made the Body Ecology Diet mayonnaise and discovered that I definitely should have used LIGHT olive oil. The regular one has too strong a taste for the mayo. I ended up mixing it with a little bit of regular mayo, and ketchup. So it doesn’t fit with B.E.D. but at least its edible now. I think it would taste really good if I redo the recipe with half LIGHT extra virgin olive oil and half coconut oil or something.

Here’s the recipe:

Homemade Mayonnaise (recipe from B.E.D. book)

2 egg yolks
2 Tbs raw organic apple cider vinegar
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp mustard
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (I added a little more)
2 tsp seal salt
1 cup olive oil

*In blender combine egg yolks, vinegar, lemon juice, mustar, cayenne pepper, salt and 1/4 cup of the oil. Blend for 30 seconds.

*Very slowly, through opening in blender lid, add remaining oil while blender is still going. Continue to blend until smooth.

*Scrape into a glass jar with a screw top and it’ll keep safely in the refrigerator for 7-14 days

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I will be trying a few different dressings and sauces. There are recipes for gravy, vinaigrette, curried cauliflower sauce, and more that I want to try very soon. Our dinner last night was, well BLAH. I sauteed turger burgers, chopped up with onions and mixed organic frozen veggies and a little bit of spinache puree. Sounds good, but it just wasn’t that great. I will skip the frozen veggies next time with this kind of meal. The good news is that the boys still ate some of it.

Super-Yummy-Pumpkin-Biscuit-Pancake-Soft-Cookie-Things

After dinner, I whipped up some buscuits from Pamela’s gluten free pancake mix (no this doesn’t fall in line with the healing stage of the B.E.D. because of the almond meal, etc. but at least it was gluten, dairy and sugar free). I mixed in some of the squash puree that I made earlier in the day, some cinnamon, nutmeg, stevia & butter/coconut oil. And they were phenomenal. They are SO yummy! Like a pumpkin-pie-pancake-biscuit-soft-cookie-thing.

Since I’m on such a roll talking about food, I’ll continue!

Breakfast!

This morning, the boys had one of those aforementioned super yummy biscuits and a super green smoothie (bananas, mixed fruit, flaxseed meal, coconut oil, liquid chlorophyll, water). I had a green ACV cocktail (water with liquid chlorophyll and apple cider vinegar) and then made breakfast when I got to work. I cooked two eggs in a lot of coconut oil with sea salt and lots of pepper, and heated up the last of the squash and ginger soup I had made. To help with digestion (since I had animal proteins AND a decent amount of oil) I had a small cup of water mixed with a teaspoon of ACV. YUM. Oh how I LOVE eggs cooked this way.

I feel really good. Between these nutritional changes, t-tapp, dry-skin brushing, and just a changed attitude about food, the body & life overall, I feel a major transformation already underway! I’m already super thin, so I’m not trying to lose weight. In fact, gaining some might be nice. Either way, I FEEL good, so I’m really not all that concerned about how I look. The biggest, more noticable change is my energy levels. I mean, last night I was up till my usual bedtime, but what I was DOING during that time was different. I was in the kitchen, moving around the house, making lunches for the next day, and I CLEARED the sink. This was a first. Seriously. Whatever is going on, I like it.

So I will leave you with some pictures of our sprouts that are growing so big! I need to transplant the sunflowers, zuchinni and cucmber already, they are getting crazy! I’m still trying to figure out where I’m going to put everything. I’d love the sunflowers in the front of our house, but it gets so windy from that direction, I wonder how hardy they are? I need to have my herbs and lettuce right outside the window, otherwise they will end up neglected. And with that, here they are!

Bibb Lettuce!

Sage finally sprouted!

Unruly Sunflowers!

 
Day 3 of writing and yoga and hooray for sproutings of all kinds! This post is going to include pictures, to satisfy my (and your) visual cravings. I’ve got seedlings and roots coming out of my ears. Okay, not really, but it feels that way! It feels SO satisfying to be putting things in the dirt, watching them work their way out of the soil and up toward the sun, as they grow in height and strength. And to be consuming mostly plants feels awesome! I can’t believe it, really. I was raised by a health nut not-so-strict-vegetarian, but this really feels different to me. Somehow, it is much more “whole” as I’m involved in every part of the cycle. The seeding. Planting/germinating. Watering. Growing. Harvesting. Beautifying. Preparing. Consuming. Composting. Feeding the soil. Planting seeds. And on it goes. There is a sense of completion, contentment, a fullness. The transfer of energy from me to the plant and vice versa is amazing! Its something you just have to experience for yourself to understand.

Green eggs!

I have been experimenting with different dishes and vegetables. Three nights ago I made my classic chicken lemongrass soup. Two nights ago I made scrambled eggs over sauteed kang kung with avocado and carrots. Last night I tried kelp noodles for the first time, chopped up with cucumber and green sprouts mixed with a little apple cider vinegar and wheat-free tamari sauce. Also made some guacamole and had some carrots and corn chips on the side. This morning we had green eggs! I scrambled eggs with a little bit of liquid chlorophyll mixed in and the boys got cinnamon butter toast, while I had mine with romain lettuce and carrots. Lunch for me today was romaine lettuce with chicken, avocado, sprouts and cucumber with apple cider vinegar and olive oil. I’ve had some coconut water, water with powdered moringa in it… I need to figure out some kind of reliable and hefty snack.

Scrambled Kang Kung & Eggs with Carrots & Avocado

Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps

I’ll be experimenting with some of the Body Ecology Diet recipes this weekend. I want to try to do some purees and make more things that my kids will eat. They have been eating more vegetables than ever, just because they are offered so often. A little bit of greens here, a bite of carrot there, etc. I’m realizing how much it adds up. Something I really want to figure out and play with is what to put in their preschool lunchbags. I’ve at least been adding to their usual peanut butter and jelly sandwich and applesauce. I’ve been throwing in baby carrots (since my recent discovery at my parents’ house that my littlest one will eat them…after so long of refusing!). Got any other ideas? I need to find some kind of “green” bread recipe. My kids eat a lot of bread (I’m really missing it right now).

Chakra Recipes Cookbook by Miro

Changing the way I’ve been eating has me feeling lighter. Cleaner. Full of life. Of course, I’ve only been keeping up the changes for a short time now, but if I feel this great about it now, I can’t wait to see how I feel in a few months, or a year from now! Many resources have been popping up around me, including a friend & yoga instructor named Miro. She is a wonderful woman who has published a book called Chakra Recipes, and many of the recipes are great for what I’m doing right now! She has beautiful artwork in the book as well. It is just a lovely creation and it inspires me every time I flip through it. The recipes are very simple, with minimal ingredients, and much versatility. A few of them I have to adapt a little bit to fit more in line with Body Ecology, but its easy. We have a couple of copies for sale at Nuts & Grains for $25.

Something I really look forward to is having most of the veggies that we eat come from our garden! I know it’ll take time, but I’m already so excited about all my little lettuce, cucumber and zucchini sprouts. The kids are having a lot of fun watching the difference in the sprouts even from when we see them in the morning to when we get home in the afternoon. They’ve been talking about sunflowers a lot lately, so when I saw the seed packets, I knew we’d get them and grow them. Plus, I just noticed yesterday when I was look at my treasure map, that I’ve got sunflowers on there!

Kang Kung rooted in a vase!

Zucchini seedling

Our future salad

Speaking of my treasure map, I took it out of the closet (because its too big for me to put it anywhere else for now!) and set it up on the couch. I did my yoga yesterday afternoon and was really feeling connected with my breathing, my body, my surroundings. I felt very grounded, yet with that divine connection that you just can’t explain. The minute you try to explain it, it fades. All I can say is that I felt all the inspiration I was breathing in. And when I was finished I looked at my treasure map and suddenly so many things on there clicked in a new way. I was seeing how certain things were unfolding and I am just blown away by the power of treasure maps! And it really is just that. A map of treasures. A guide to your desires. A visual reminder of your passions, goals, or things that came to you intuitively (even if they make no sense for awhile). I recommend making a treasure map to anyone, at anytime (even though there are some very beneficial and auspicious times to make one!). I hadn’t looked at it for about a month or so, and I can’t believe how much on it is manifesting…in the areas of health, healing, BREATHING, fresh, clean, simple, back to the earth, fun, energy, vitality, flowers, gardening, and more!

A happy mess...

I am truly blessed. The universe is always conspiring toward my highest good and I just love it all to pieces.

Well folks, thats a grand total of  1050 words, so I’m out!

Aboard the Alii Nui, a 60' catamaran

We went sailing this weekend and had a blast. I was worried at first because the little one’s got a cough, but it was great! Once everyone was aboard, we got a nice shower from the sky right before departing. It cleared up as we got further out of the marina.

My dad is the hired captain of the Ali’i Nui, a 60′ catamaran sailed here from Hawaii and I am so proud of him! I love seeing that he is happy, having a great time, and creating a great living! He was doing charters on the boat that he co-owns, the Rubicon. Check out his website Sail Fish Guam for more about him and his business. He is a very well-known and respected man of the water here on Guam, even with my biased opinion aside. And I love him!  

Here are some fun pictures from our sunset sailing adventure this past weekend…

Here is my latest painting! I was sitting on the couch writing in my journal, when suddenly I had the urge to paint. I literally jumped off of the couch and grabbed a blank canvas from the closet. Pulled out some colors. I knew what I was going to paint. 

I was asked to contribute an essay and original artwork for an upcoming book project called “Guam Through Our Eyes” and today I finally got to the artwork! 

I adore red ginger (ginger of all kinds really!) and for me, primarily when I think of Guam, nature comes first. My heart is definitely in nature, and in this painting you’ll see the flowers, greenery, the ocean, and the sun, moon & wind all swept into one blended vision of love for nature. 

This painting didn’t take too long to create, but a lot of energy went into it. It was pretty intense actually, but it came together so quickly! I think it really made a difference that I had a clear image in my mind of what it would ultimately resemble. 

Below I offer a play-by-play from start to finish. 

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My childhood dreams have come true!

As a little girl, when I’d see those photos of women donned in faery wear glowing amongst the trees, I always wished I could do that too!

A huge THANK YOU to Heather Colson, of M-eye World Photography for being a very important part of this whole experience! She put the magic into these photos! She is definitely a faery goddess in her own right, and totally fun to work with!

Now I shall stop talking and let you look through the photos!

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Entrance gate to the chapel

My latest secret morning adventure was a fun one! Something called me to visit the Hilton Guam Resort & Spa…but not inside the hotel. There is a hillside to the left of the hotel that overlooks the beach, and is right on the point at the “beginning” of Tumon Bay.

All in all, this hotel and its landscape is gorgeous. They have two or three different chapels and there isone that is to the far left, up this side road all the way to the very point of the point if you can imagine that. It is gorgeous.

Garden Pathways

Path to overlook the ocean

I was fascinated by the egg shaped domes!

There are eggshaped domes, one at the entrance, and one off to the side, like a gazebo of sorts. Is this to symbolize fruitfulness and abundance? I hope so! There is a sort of moat that goes around the huge a-frame chapel. I stepped inside (I got lucky. It’s usually locked but they were getting read for a ceremony and would only let me stand at the entrance to take a picture, as they had just shined the floors) and I took a photo of the inside view. I can’t quite describe what it felt like in there. Like you were floating above the ocean, this little oasis of a chapel, it was magical indeed. If I ever get married, this would be a beautiful place to have the ceremony!

Inside the chapel, overlooking the ocean

A "moat" gives the chapel an elegant and enchanted feel

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The garden paths are edged by a steep dropoff to the ocean

What I really loved about this place was the little gardenways around that lead to little lookouts over the ocean. I felt like I was in a secret garden of sorts, with little pathways leading this way and that way. Flowers, rock formations, and the cliffline overlooking the ocean…

And the butterflies! There were butterflies everywhere! I made a separate post dedicated just to the butterflies.

What an elegant morning. All this exploration happened in a span of about 45 minutes, before I was heading

Found me a small plumeria!

off to work. SO worth it! Just to have that solitude time of aimless exploration (though I did have a few targets during this adventure, like the chapel, and the view, and getting in some walking time). It was enough to energize me for the whole day! I breezed through work with a smile, with speed and efficiency,

Bouganvillea, Guam's official flower, known in Chamorro as the Puti Tai Nobiu which means "Hurts without a lover"

and most important, quality! I am forever grateful for rediscovering my love for adventure, secret explorations and missions, solitude, spending time with Mother Nature, and just making the space to BE. A carved out slice of time where I have absolutely no obligations. No shoulds, no “supposed tos”.   

Freedom is lovely when experienced.

Be free and enjoy life’s pleasures.

Magic is all around us.

Have a beautiful day!

Love,
Shell

 

Robby, Every & Kenny at the beach in Tumon

I love the beach. For a while, when the boys were even smaller, it could be quite a hassle to lug everything we needed to the beach, including carrying the kids! Now that they can walk AND help carry a few things, going to the beach is a breeze!

We go to different beaches all over Guam, but quite often, we default to Tumon for ease and comfort. It’s more sand and less rocks & coral (which has its downsides in my opinion!) and it is also easy to park somewhere and walk right to the beach. And with all the hotels along the beach, there are usually showers around to sneak into and get rinsed off with fresh water before going home. It’s basically one long beach in the bay with plenty of spots to choose from.

Filled with tourists and locals alike, it almost resembles a much lower key version of Waikiki. For this reason, a lot of people would probably prefer to

Instead of sandcastles, we build pillows and furniture!

venture out to more private beaches. They exist all over the place, but are often on someone’s property, or have difficult access in general. Or they are very rocky beaches with rougher waters and stronger currents. Or you have to get there by boat. Or its a very long drive from where you live. Either way, Tumon is a pretty standard beach spot on Guam, and we have found our own little pockets that we like to hang out in.

I love every adventure we take to the beach, and its fun going to beaches we haven’t been to in a long while. And I’ve become quite adept at packing for a family beach day. We take with us a large blanket, drinks & snacks in a mini colapsable cooler, extra clothes, a towel or two, a bucket with a couple shovels ‘n’ things, a small bag for our keys, money, etc, and sometimes I bring a book if I think I can get some relaxing reading time in. Everything is in one big (but not TOO big) beach bag, except for the blanket and the mini cooler. The boys carry their bucket and shovels. Easy as 1 2 3. Oh, don’t forget a bag for wet clothes/towels when you leave!

Butterfly spotted on the ground during one of my morning adventures

Who doesn’t love butterflies? Maybe there are people out there who don’t, but I just love them. I love the way they flutter around, dancing from flower to flower drinking up the nectar. 

Of course there is the magnificence of the whole metamorphosis phenomenon…a tiny caterpillar that grows and grows, eating leaves and inching its way across the ground floor and through the stems of plants. Then it curls itself up into a cocoon, giving it some pushing force that is its catalyst for growing and strengthening a beautiful pair of wings. When the time is right, the creature breaks free from its self imposed resistance and sets flight out into the world. 

We all go through similar processes, these growth stages, breaking through our self imposed resistances and setting ourselves free. Some of us feel these changes dramatically, others more subtly. All of us have a pair of beautiful wings that are there when we are ready to fly! 

Butterfly Cluster

My latest morning adventure was quite the adventure for sure! I decided to go to the Hilton Hotel and park by their hillside. They have beautiful gardens and walkways and a road that leads up to the chapel that sits on the point. It is a breathtaking area. While walking, I was surrounded by butterflies! They were everywhere. It felt like I entered the secret land of the butterfly kingdom. I wondered if a royal butterfly palace might be somewhere near… There was a lot of magic in the misty morning air. The sun shone down brightly, lighting up all the leaves and flowers, though a storm was brewing on the ocean side. 

At one point they were EVERYWHERE. Swirling around me, I felt so entranced to be in the middle of this butterfly dance! I managed to capture a video of this flutterby whirlwind which you can view below. I apologize in advance for any shakiness in the video, I did my best, lol! Enjoy my first amateur movie!