Sick Days

I have come down with a really nasty head cold this week and I will not be reviewing a deck today because I feel so crummy... and I will probably take a few days off from blogging to rest and eat lots of chicken soup. I'm sorry about the lack of posts this week but I hope to be feeling better by Serenity Sunday, I apologize for the inconvenience.

Recipe Of The Week

Cranberry Relish

Ingredients
1 pound cranberries
2 apples
2 oranges
1 large pkg of strawberry jello mix
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 lemon, juiced 
1 can drained, crushed pineapple
2 ounces brandy or Grand Marnier (optional)


Directions
Chop the cranberries, apples and the oranges into course mixture with their skins, a food processor will work. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Allow the flavors to blend overnight or for several hours in the refrigerator. Relish may be frozen.

Serenity Sunday

Take a few moments and think about what you are thankful for. You may even wish to take a few minutes to jot down some notes for yourself. Set aside just 60 seconds a day


With your list of those things you are thankful for, set aside just one minute per day (or more, if you wish) to review that list, to verbalize your gratitude and to really take in your thankfulness for those things that you do have. Literally say it out loud: "I am thankful for the garden in my back yard and the opportunity to grow a small portion of my own food" for example.


In just 60 seconds per day, if practiced daily, you will create an attitude of gratitude which will brighten your mood and uplift your day-to-day experience of life because it allows you to refocus your attention on those things you appreciate rather than those things you might despise.


My List:


1.) My kids


2.) My pets


3.) Tarot friends


4.) Snow days


5.) Hot chocolate


6.) Towels just out of the dryer


7.) Electric pencil sharpeners


8.) Meditation


9.) Scented candles


10.) Packages in the mail

Silly Picture Of The Week

Remember that old Sesame Street song "One of these things is not like the other?"

Cool New Finds

I love finding cool new things and recently I found the neatest handmade Card of the Day (CoD) wooden card holder for my daily tarot card draws from Alaska Laser Maid on Etsy. 

Not only is it terrific for tarot cards but it's a great little card stand for small prints, note cards and photos. It's made from lacquered wood with carved scroll work work on the sides. It is 3 1/2 inches wide, a little over 4 inches tall, and about 2 1/2 inches deep. I ordered the cedar stand with ivy scroll work and I've got to tell you it's absolutely gorgeous!

Deborah also creates handmade Red Cedar boxes and much more made of Western Red and Yellow cedar, salvaged from the Tongass National Forest on Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska. Each wood product has been planed, sanded, lacquered, designed and produced by her. Deborah's motto is, "Your inspirations are the seeds for my creations."

Her work is beautiful and you can just see the care and attention to detail that she puts into each and every creation, and while you're perusing her products, make sure you check out her fabulous handmade rune and I-Ching sets, they are really something to see, so stop by her shop and tell her "Lizzie's Logic" sent you!
 

Book Review- Be Love Now

Be Love Now is the third book in a series that started with "Be Here Now" and was followed by "Still Here", Ram Dass's applauded work on aging, changing, and dying. In "Be Love Now", Ram Dass shares what he has learned in his forty year spiritual journey. Through teaching stories, humorous personal anecdotes and stirring insights, Ram Dass tracks the stages of his own awakening in a very down-to-earth style. 


In his book "Be Love Now" he shares powerful lessons on love, including:


~ Love is a state of being, not a trip from here to there... The truth of this path of the heart is that there is no path. 
~There is only the heart and the love.
~ Surrender to love...In the West surrender implies giving up power. But surrendering to a guru or the Beloved doesn’t mean giving up power to another human being—it’s letting go of the stuff that keeps you separate.
~ Value your beloved above yourself ...Your favorite food is on the table, and your main concern is that your lover should have enough of it. You are fulfilled when your lover eats.

The book is mostly a tribute to his own guru, Maharaj-ji, along with other amusing tales about his travels and experiences in India at ashrams with various teachers and other gurus. It reads like a well written journal of personal experiences all having to do with searching for enlightenment. 


Starting with his days as Harvard psychologist and psychedelic inventurer, continuing through his wonderful encounters with his guru, Neem Karoli Baba, and moving beyond the reawakening brought on by his near-fatal stroke, Ram Dass shares his life experiences in "Be Love Now," his teachings on love and the path of the heart.


This is a wonderful, eye opening book and although I was far too young to recall very much from the early seventies, it was an excellent adventure into the mind and heart of Ram Dass.

Deck Review- The Mystical Lenormand Deck

Marie Anne Adelaïde Lenormand was a great clairvoyant in the 18th and 19th century. It is not clear the year she was born (1768 or 1772), but in most sources the date may 21, 1772 shows up. Madame Lenormand was so devoted to her art that she used a custom 36 card deck of her own design. Each card carries more than one meaning. 

In most Lenormand decks the meaning of each card in a specific reading is directly related to its proximity to the card that represents the person the reading is for. The Mystical Lenormand is a new edition of the Fortune Cards of Marie-Anne Lenormand, the Sibyl of Paris. The cards are painted by Urban Trosch in classical Eitempera technique in fantastic color. 


The Mystical Lenormand deck is a smaller deck at 2.63 x 3.50 inches and has a wonderful matte finish. The card stock is really nice and shuffles very well and works out great for those with smaller hands. They are lightweight, but not flimsy and the backs are reversible. These are wonderful cards to use to get in touch with your intuitive side and can be read using the accompanying booklet and it's definitions or just by using your own intuitive abilities. I suggest making your own "dictionary" of card meanings to aid in developing your own style and understanding of the rich color and symbolism.

The Mystical Lenormand is illustrated in a way that  I connected with them instantly even though I'd never used this style deck before. The cards are very bright and clear, without any loud or garish colors and convey an aesthetic which feels traditional, ancient and yet modern all at the same time. Some of the thirty-six card titles include the Horse Rider, Ship, House, Tree, Clouds, Snake, Coffin, Fox, Bear, Stars, Storks, Dog, Tower, Sun, Fish, Anchor, Cross.


 I thoroughly recommend the Mystical Lenormand and it's thirty-six exquisite little paintings full of insight and understanding.
 

U.S. Games Systems Inc.

ISBN 1572815345

Recipe Of The Week

Linguine with Chicken and Sauteed Vegetables


Ingredients


1/2 cup vegetable oil
10 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 (12 ounce) package uncooked linguine pasta
salt to taste
1/2 cup chopped broccoli
1/2 cup chopped cabbage
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup chopped cauliflower
2 tablespoons diced green onions
1 pound chicken tenders, cut into bite-size pieces
3 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chopped cilantro
4 lime wedges


Directions


~ Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Mix in garlic. Cook and stir until golden. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
~ Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place linguine in pot and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Set aside 1 tablespoon garlic oil and toss remainder with pasta to coat. Season pasta with salt.
~ Bring a pot of water to a boil. Immerse broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower and green onions in water for about 30 seconds. Drain and set aside.
~ Heat reserved garlic oil in skillet over medium heat. Mix in chicken and 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Cook until chicken juices run clear. Mix in vegetables and remaining soy sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with linguine, and garnish with cilantro and lime to serve.

Serenity Sunday

Gratitude




In the life of aspiration and dedication


The gratitude-deer always runs the fastest,


Always achieves the most,


Always becomes the perfection-satisfaction


Of the highest


And


Most fulfilling and fulfilled


Supreme in us.


Gratitude is not a human achievement.


Gratitude is a divine treasure


Granted to us


By the inner Pilot within us,


The Absolute Supreme.


My List:


1.) My kids


2.) my pets


3.) Great friends


4.) Umbrellas


5.) Freckles


6.) Tarot


7.) Hot chocolate


8.) Meditation


9.) Sun puddles


10.) Movie night

Silly Picture Of The Week

Calliope's impersonation of me at my desk!