Planning a Recycled Lean-to Greenhouse

I’m so excited about our current project! We’re building a lean-to greenhouse in our backyard. This in and of itself is a wonderful project, but what makes it extra special to me is that we’re making it out of found and repurposed materials.

After watching lots and lots of youtube video on other people’s projects (thank you!), I have an idea of where to begin with ours. Yesterday I looked around our yard for materials we can use for our greenhouse, and to my surprise we had almost everything we need to build a frame laying in our yard. We had several large posts, several 2x4s that I salvaged from a curbside, 2 old tires, and an old pallet that I collected from a restaurant. While looking in our yard, I spied a piece of plastic sheeting in our neighbor’s yard that looked like it wasn’t being used. My neighbor was happy to give the sheeting to me, plus I got to meet a new neighbor and have a wonderful conversation about composting and gardening.

Today Little Lotus and I will go on a treasure hunt for more old tires. The tires will become the foundation for the outer wall of our greenhouse after being filled with compacted dirt. I’m so excited, our greenhouse will be a wonderful place to begin seedlings for our garden.

Wishing you love, joy, and delicious healthy food,

Raw Chef Asante

www.LivingOurBliss.net

The Upside of a Failed Modem

What began as a failed modem became a wonderful break from the computer that I didn’t know I needed. It has been a wonderful and productive few weeks. For example, I’ve partnered with The Health Food Center (one of our local health food stores) to offer my Raw Brazil Nut Tacos in their deli every Tuesday starting in March. I also began counseling with a really wonderful woman. I’m so excited about this. Like most of us, I have “stuff” that blocks my joy at times, and I’m ready to work these things out and step fully into my bliss.

This week we placed our first order for Azure Standard. Azure Standard is a company that ships high quality food to food buying coops at a discount. A good friend of mine suggested that we order food from them, and we’ve finally placed an order. We’ll go the drop point on Monday with all the other families who’ve places orders and help unload the truck and pick up our pounds and pounds of organic nuts, grains, and dates…yum.

Today I’m on a mission. I want to find barrels with which to build a simply water catchment system. I also want to find plastic sheeting to reuse as a cover for a greenhouse. I want to make the greenhouse out of found materials, and I believe I’ve collected enough pallets for the frame. Now I need to find a cover. I’m so excited about this idea and about gardening in our yard. Perhaps we’ll create a little urban homestead. I’ve always wanted to do that, and there’s no better time to begin than now!

Love Love Love to you,

Asante

www.LivingOurBliss.net

Juice and Water Fast Day No.6

I’ve made it over the hump and I feel really good. I do not feel hungry at all, and my energy levels are really high. I love this because I know the energy is truly my vitality and not a stimulant.

Today I bought a case of Thai coconuts. I enjoyed the water from two coconuts, and it was delicious. Along with my Thai coconut water I loved a couple of glasses of orange/apple juice and lots of water. When I say glasses I really mean large Mason jars. What is it about being in a Mason jar that makes a drink taste better? I didn’t drink any green juice, however. Tomorrow I will make it a point to drink green juice; it gives me instant vitality.

Wishing you bliss, bliss, and more bliss,

Asante a.k.a. Luvli Lotus

www.LivingOurBliss.net

Juice & Water Fast Day No.2

The fruits in our kitchen have never smelled so good. I can smell bananas from across the room…lol. I can’t wait to eat one! And an avocado, and a persimmon! I can do it though, just 8 days to go. I’ve found, through my own experience and the experience of others, that the first three days are the toughest.

I love fasting, I feel like I am resetting my body. I decided to fast for several reasons. My biggest reason is that I was making unhealthy food decisions. After a fast I find it a lot easier to resist cravings for unhealthy food. Another reason I chose to fast is to start 2011 with a clear mind, body, and spirit.

Day 2 of my fast is has gone really well, although I’ve had a detox headache for the last two days. I am drinking lots of warm water and skin brushing each day which will help my body to detoxify. Today I enjoyed celery, apple, spinach, garlic juice and lots of water.I’m about to drink a huge glass of fresh orange juice. My sweet husband has just gone to the store for organic oranges; you can’t believe how excited I am about that orange juice!

Beauty & love to you,

Asante

www.LivingOurBliss.net

Vanilla Bean the Adventure Mobile

Last minute tasks are taking a bit longer to complete than I anticipated, but we are steadily preparing for our journey. My goal is to travel very light with 4 sets of clothes for each of us, our sleeping bags, art products, and several small crates in the back of the trunk containing carefully selected things like: water, art supplies, and food.

My little one has her very own container that sits next to her containing books, food, workbooks and art supplies. I wrote a list of things I’d like to take including details on where to put them in the car, and in the end we are leaving behind about 1/3 of the things I’d planned to take. One of the things we are likely to leave home is our kitten Max. To my five-year old daughter’s delight, we planned to travel with Max the kitten. His travel carrier is ready to be buckled in to the seatbelt and a crate of his supplies has been packed. But in the last few weeks Max has grown from ‘Max the Cute and Cuddly Kitten’ to ‘Max the Ferocious Attack Kitten’. Is it pitiful to admit that I’m afraid of a kitten? Well, pitiful or not I am skittish around Max’s sharp kitten teeth and needle claws.  He hides behind corners practicing his hunting skills on any unsuspecting legs that are unlucky enough to walk by, and he gnaws on our limbs while we are sleeping. Needless to say, Max is not the kitten to travel with at the moment. The good news is he’s likely to grow out of this painful stage of his developement. The bad news is breaking it to my five-year old that kitty must stay home due to bad behavior.

We’ve polished up our 98 Toyota Camry over the last couple of weeks. She’s had an oil change, tire rotation, replaced radio fuse, car wash, and interior shampoo. She looks great! We’ve dubbed her Vanilla Bean the Adventure Mobile (even though she’s white and vanilla beans are actually brown). Just a couple of days should see us on the road!

Abalone Sunrise Earrings

Last week I added my handcrafted jewlery to the products on my website. I love designing jewlery, and gorgeous adornemt blends nicely with my theme of self-care and wellness. I began designing jewelry at age 13; it’s nice to revisit this passion.

Happy trails to you,

Asante

www.LivingOurBliss.net

Creating Well-Being and Preparing for Adventure

It is a beautiful windy day. I love the wind, and today it is warm and powerful. Last week I began walking laps in our backyard. I know this sounds really funny, but it’s great! For years now I’ve walked several miles each day, preferably in the morning. I use to live by a big beautiful lake, so each morning I would throw on my clothes and head out. Since becoming a mom and moving away from my lake, my ritual has become a bit more challenging. Last week I decided I would try walking laps around my backyard. My usual walk is about 3 miles which takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes, so now I walk laps around my beautiful backyard for 1 hour and 15 minutes. This way I don’t have to worry about getting us up, dressed, and fed before I get my exercise. I just head outside as soon as I rise. When little one wakes up she can join me outside and play while I walk. We both have fun, and there is no need to pack a stroller, or remind my little lady to keep up. Not mention packing a bag for our walk and driving to a trail.

Last night I developed a line of magnets from my paintings. I love them! My art has been keeping me up very late at night. I love being this inspired. I’ve been thinking about all the ways I create, all the ways I need to create. At present I love raw vegan culinary art, writing, poetry, jewelry design, painting, and I’m sure there is more to come. The common element between all of my passions is the direction of positive thought and well-being, so I’ve created the term “Well-Being Artist” to describe me.

Today, a beautiful friend of mine told me of her daughter’s death. Over the weekend, her partner who has been emotionally and verbally abusive, became physically abusive and took her life. What a waste! My beautiful friend and I are planning a green home building project and documentary, and this tragedy adds urgency and meaning to our project. Home and sanctuary are so important, especially for women. I’m so excited about this project. This is the perfect time.

We are still preparing for our trip. We have our backpacks, sleeping bags, and a travel carrier for Max and kitten. I’m putting finishing touches on a children’s story in order to submit it to a publisher before we go. Then, I can focus on beginning a new one about our journey. I can’t wait to tell you all about our adventures!

Wishing you love unmeasurable,

Asante

Well-Being Artist

www.LivingOurBliss.net

Succulent Juiciness

I’m so excited! My five year old daughter and I are getting ready for an amazing road trip. Today we had some work done on my car and bought zero degree sleeping bags. We’ll be very prepared. This trip has been taking form for almost a month, and now it is beginning to feel very real.

At first, I felt so overwhelmed. I want to accomplish so much. In the near future I have plans to write children’s stories, work on my next well-being book, travel to meet amazing folks, and work on a green building project with a very good friend. I know, it sounds like a lot. Imagine how I felt trying to wrap my brain around doing all of this. I think I’ve mentioned before that patience is not my biggest strength, so of course I wanted results tomorrow. As the ideas marinate I can see how perfectly they will flow together. I am also allowing myself to work free of deadlines for a while so I can focus on the journey of the projects. Aaaah.

While I was  a teenager I absolutely loved books by SARK. My favorite SARK book  is Succulent Wild Woman. One principle I love from Succulent Wild Woman is to “recreate your life if it doesn’t feel juicy”. Here’s to succulent juiciness!

Asante

www.LivingOurBliss.net

What a Surprise!

“What a death! What a chance! What a surprise! My will has chosen life! Still it has had me spooked and many others besides!” –Ada in The Piano 1993

Today has been phenomenal! Today I developed a project plan for my next book Unstoppable You. Last week I began a painting for the cover, and it’s almost done. My mind has run wild conceptualizing the many inspiring products I can create from my paintings… very exciting. I have to remind myself to be patient and pace myself because I want to see my vision manifested overnight!

The quote at the very top of this post is from the movie the piano. The character Ada had just jumped from a boat intending the commit suicide. She surprised herself with her desire to live in what would have been her last moments of life. The words above were her thoughts as she realized she wasn’t ready to die.  This is the scene that came to mind as my husband and I decided to give marriage counseling a try in what seemed to me like the end of our marriage. What a surprise indeed! We attended our first session last week, and both came away with a better understanding of ourselves and each other. Intimately relating to another person is not easy. It seems to bring up all of the issues, hurts, and weaknesses that we don’t really have to look at when we are alone. This is a beautiful thing.

I have read there is magic in the unknown and in-between. I’ve read this described two ways. One description of this principle identifies an opportunity in not knowing what comes next.  This principle is also depicted as a magical place where one thing ends and another begins, such as the space right between the beach and the ocean, or the time just between the light of day and the dark of night. This in-between space is where I find myself these days. I am not quite sure of the outcome of several aspects of my life, but I trust the journey is making me an even more phenomenal, compassionate, and well-rounded person.

Wishing you abundant LOVE and authentic JOY,

Asante

www.LivingOurBliss.net

Delicate Dynamo

Hello Beautiful! Today has been great, tomorrow will be even better, yesterday was quite a challenge. I knew this experience would involve ups and downs, yesterday was definitely a down day. But, aaah, my beautifully clear vision of things to come has kept my head up and a smile on my face.

I am learning something wonderful and amazing about myself. In my raw food workshops I describe the enzymes in living food as ‘delicate dynamos’. I have read them described this way by various raw food experts, and I love the term. Today I realized that I too am a ‘delicate dynamo’. I am a ‘dynamo’ because I am capable of so much. I am a very strong person in many ways, and I am adventurous enough to get out into the world to try new things. It has taken me a while to understand the delicacy of myself, and my present experience is showing me just that. Through this experience I have learned that it is unbearable for me to not live on my path. I have learned that, although I see beauty in another, the energy they choose to cultivate in their life may not be for me.  If it is gruesome or highly negative it is definitely not for me. In moments like this I know the name of my company, Living Our Bliss, is a reminder for me, a call to action as I protect and love the ‘delicate’ parts of myself.

I love this opportunity to practice the principles in my next book! My next book is about becoming our best in the face of challenge and adversity. Although this lovely experience is hurtful, it couldn’t have come at a better time. So far I have been able to test these principles which will be some of the chapters in my book:

• Powerfully Joyful! (Maintaining Joy In the Midst of Personal Challenge)
• Impeccable Self-Love and Self-Care (Taking Care of Yourself in the Eye of a Storm)
• You Are My Reflection (Your Thoughts, Beliefs and Feelings Shape Your World)
• Every Challenge Bears Many Gifts (Finding the Purpose in Life’s Challenges)
• Let Them Go (Releasing Toxic Relationships)
• Angels Do Exist (Accepting Divine Assistance)
• Inner Guidance, Inner Wisdom (Intuition, the Voice of Divinity Within)
• A Reason, a Season, or a Lifetime (Everything in Your Life Has a Purpose)
• Feasting on Goodness (Looking for Beauty to Cultivate)
• Embracing Success (Releasing an Addiction to Struggle)
• Divine Parenting (Parenting Yourself, and Caring for Your Children as Divine Beings)
• Perfect Imperfection (The Voice of Your “Faults”)
• Love is the Answer (Pour a Little Love On It)
• Forgiveness (Releasing Yourself from Anger)
• Perfect YOU (Embracing Your Unique Beauty)
• The Fire of Transformation (Becoming Your Personal Best in the Face of Adversity)

I can’t quite describe in words the fulfillment I receive typing these principles. They are part of the purpose of my life and I am thankful for the opportunity to explore them. With this it all makes sense.

With LOVE unmeasurable to you and your vision

Asante

www.LivingOurBliss.net

Self-Love Through Empowering Circumstances

Ah, life is such an amazing experience in growth and learning . Right now, I am pondering love and relationships and the many ways we take our own pain out on others, especially the ones closest to us. How we feel about ourselves truly shapes how we interact with the world and how the world interacts with us. Thus my favorite principle that practicing self-love and self-care is actually a way to make the world a more loving place. For example, notice how a mama interacts with her child(ren) when she is joyful and secure. Now, imagine the same situation, but in this scenario the mama is overworked, under-supported, and stretched too thin.

In the spirit of transparency, honesty, and self-love I want to share my journey of self-love and discovery with my readers. In the spirit of grace and love, my intention is to share my experiences with you in a way that is non-blaming, yet authentic. It is not always pretty, but even at its worst it is a beautiful mess that is shaping me and molding me into the woman I am meant to be.

Recently, my marriage has shifted drastically. This is a beautiful and painful thing, but what amazes me is how light and confident I feel and how much energy I have. It seems it has become more painful to continue my relationship than to end it. As I’ve gained a little distance from my situation I’ve realized several things. The following is a little of what I’ve learned:

1. I am very clear in my vision of my most blissful life, and I am growing my confidence to pursue and create it.
2. I want to grow my ability to not compromise things that are very important to me. My tendency is to compromise more than I should in the pursuit of another person’s happiness. Healing opportunity for me!
3. I am a great mom, and I am an even better mom when I am happy about my life.
4. I am perfect in my imperfection and growing every day.
5. Making challenging life decisions takes courage.
6. I have an amazing support system!
7. My life is a reflection of aspects of myself that need an opportunity to heal.

I’ve also learned that abuse has many faces, and that some faces of abuse are subtler than others. The type of abuse I’d like to address right now is emotional abuse. Intimidating a wife, husband, girlfriend, or boyfriend is domestic emotional abuse.  Demeaning our partners, putting them down, and punishing them for not meeting our expectations is emotional abuse. Let’s be honest with ourselves, emotional abuse and domestic abuse in general are more prevalent than we think. Perhaps we don’t realize how prevalent this issue is because there is a stigma attached to experiencing abuse. Perhaps it is a secretive topic because the partner on the receiving end of the abuse has learned to blame themselves.

I have learned, while traveling along my bumpy path, that being expressive about our experience is a healing thing. It can help us heal and it can be healing to others who share our experience. With that in mind, this blog is my catharsis.

In the spirit of taking responsiblity for my experience I am excited about loving and healing the parts of me that attract me to interacting in abusive situations. It is humbling to acknowledge these aspects of my journey, and even more humbling to express them. In order to acknowledge the areas in which I want to grow in an empowering way, I am expressing them as affirmations. My affirmations are as follows:

“I experience acceptance and love from within. I accept and love myself’.”

“I am loveable, including my imperfections.”

“I have the courage to follow my bliss. In following and living my bliss other aspects of my life will find their place.”

“To compromise or not compromise is my choice”.

I am wishing you an abundance of GROWTH, JOY, & WISDOM & acknowledging your divinity! I am loving the ability in us all to embody compassion and understanding.

LOVE,

Asante

www.LivingOurBliss.net