Rainbows and Sunshine

2010-09-10T13:34:00.000-07:00

Let there be Love.

And, so there was Love.

Good Morning Starshine

2010-07-07T08:21:00.000-07:00

Good morning Starshine!

Sunny days are here again. :) I have been feeling a pull to start writing again and hopefully I find the quiet moments and dig in and shed light on the thoughts waiting patiently to be expressed!

In the meantime.. hi! And, how have you been?

Spread the love!

Peace,

Tammy

Rainbow!

2010-03-29T09:24:00.000-07:00

Duck duck Goose!

2010-01-11T10:59:00.000-08:00

Spread the Love!
Tammy

Mother Goose

2010-01-10T20:01:00.000-08:00

Duck, duck.. Goose! Was walking along in a park when we were surrounded by sweet ducks all hoping for a morsel of food.

We don't feed the ducks because it only encourages them to stay instead of follow their natural instincts to fly south. Something I wonder how much we actually effect their intuitive natures and instincts that have been built in for so long. I'm continually amazed to see just how much we do wrong with our good intentions! More likely, it's our selfish intentions.. yes. Really, honestly, I'm (see, we're) not helping the birds out by feeding them that stale bread.. I'm only bloating their tummies giving kidney failure and other things. Also, it's never nice to see them fighting over the food and possibly causing each other injury. But, I certainly enjoy being chased after.. boy do I feel loved when those little duckies waddle after me nipping at my ankles and singing their little whanwhanwhant song. *insertsarcasticnodandsmilehere* So, anyway.. we did not feed the army of duckies.. nor this beautiful Goose that snuck up behind me on the path. Honestly, I just felt she was more lonely and I wanted to bring her home with me but thought she looked like she was doing a pretty good job taking care of herself. :) However, I will go back and check on her again soon. She was all by herself.. which is rather unusual for Geese and her wing looked a little strange.. but then wings have fooled me before!

Spread the Love!
Tammy

Walks, puppies and mushrooms

2009-11-08T16:27:00.000-08:00

Well fall has officially embraced us here. Perfect weather to be harvesting some delicious Burdock Root and Dandy Roots, Rosehips and Sunshine.. oh my! Yes, soak up every minute of the gentle rays of sun during these shorter days and step outside to embrace the brighter, closer moons. Watch your out breath dance with each exhale and let down your hair for the wind whip around, cleansing you and energizing you!.

We went for a walk today. Our first walk with puppy off leash. We were a little nervous and truly prepared for a little excitement if we had to be, but she thrilled us! What a good puppy, coming when called.. staying close and keeping the kids in check when they ran to fast! lol

Along this walk we spotted the biggest mushroom we've ever seen. I was grateful for my phone camera as I forgot our digital and caught a couple of not so great quality photos of it. I have put out some feelers as to what type of mushroom this is and eagerly anticipate the answer. Do you know?? If you do, you may win a prize! :) (What that will be is not yet known.) oO

It's quite large and my daughter feels pretty certain that there are many fairies living in it. I happen to agree. It's an inspiring colour, this picture not doing it justice. A velvet like creamy caramel.

Well, that's all for me for now. I wish you all great blessings on these fabulous fall days!

Spread the Love!
Peace,
Tammy

2009-10-16T17:07:00.000-07:00

Water

2009-09-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

A really amazing video. Get comfy, a glass of beautiful pure water and watch. :)

Spread the Love!
Tammy

Okay.. stop.. now remember to breathe!

2009-09-15T07:07:00.001-07:00

So, I'm starting another little 6 week course. Talk about an amazing summer with my herbology program which I (hopefully) graduate in October! And, I'm hoping to continue on with the Wild Women Intensive starting in May again.

But, now this is a pranayama breathing program that will gracefully take me into the depths of fall. I'm really looking forward to it.. like butterfly's in my tummy forward to it but as it stands right now, I can't afford it. It's not that it's a crazy expensive course.. well worth every penny but sometimes in our lives, every penny counts. However, I have trust that Spirit will look out for this situation for me and for the beautiful shining Light Soul offering the course. As long as it's paid by the end it will be okay she said. I really feel this is something vital for my being right now. I hold my breath much to often. I've been more and more conscious of my breath these last few months and have been feeling a strong pull to work with this person on it. If I'm being so pulled in a direction then there must be a reason for it. Fortunately, I'm meeting these wonderful Soul inspired, come from the heart with love and integrity and trust people.. that are not all about money. Really some of the most powerful and amazing teachers that have come to be in my life yet! So, with the opening of our own home to offer people an opportunity for a place to come and be still and safe.. I plan on operating it in the same way. People say.. well.. what about those that can afford but still don't pay.. I say.. it's none of my business.. that's their will to deal with.. not mine. Obviously, if that's the case.. they need Love more then anyone else!

So, thank you Universe for bringing such amazing teachers into my life and it's my promise to you, that I will carry that energy and work from integrity and trust and love myself.

Hello!

2009-09-14T09:08:00.001-07:00

For just a moment I pop in and say hello! Life has started to slow down again.. with the tied and true signs of fall whispering hints of change and strength and inner silence I gracefully bow to the flow of life and trust in the movements of Mother Nature.

So, off I go with my camera, and my trusty new Border Collie/Lab puppy for a cool morning walk around the neighbourhood to explore the rustic grasses and pathways around us.

How is everything in YOUR lives?

Spread the Love!

Tammy

Random Hug Day!

2009-06-02T07:29:00.000-07:00

Spread the Love!
Peace,
Tammy

Hey World!

2009-05-31T19:36:00.000-07:00

I heard this song for the first time and wow.. beautiful. Then I was peeking around my favorite vegan geologists blog and FOUND IT AGAIN! Hey you Bobbie.. I LOVE that song too!! Imagine that. lol

And, so with you all you beautiful readers 0-10,000,000 I hope you enjoy this inspiring, sad, thinking song as well.

You don't give up on me and I won't give up on you! Well.. even if you do give up on me.. that's okay because I promise to still not give up on you. :P HA!

Spread the Love folks!

Peace,
Tammy

Herbology 101

2009-05-18T07:26:00.000-07:00

I have started my Herbology course and I am in Love! Deeply, madly in love with the plant world. All I want to do is play with the plants. I don't want to go to work. I want to explore wild fields. I don't want to eat. I want to make Dandelion magic. I don't want to sleep. I want to lay in a field of Violas and smell them. I want to lean my back against a Cottonwood tree and daydream beside a babbling brook for hours and hours. So much fun!

I have to honestly say this is what my heart and soul have been looking for. A truly honest and authentic teacher who knows what she's talking about and isn't afraid to share the information. My teacher Barbara is the kind of women that gives you the space to be exactly who you are.. she has the kind of love for you and for life itself, that allows your light shine as big as it can possibly shine and when you think you must be absolutely, positively glowing! She raises you up a little bit more. She, in the most gentle and understated way, challenges you to shine a little brighter. She is the kind of person that I would like to be. She is the kind of person that is so confident in who she is, she has no worries or insecurities that cause her to judge and hold a person down. She's proud of you for being you! I think that most of us do that. We get so worried about us. Some of us get so scared that there just is not enough room in this world if everyone shines as bright as they might be. Like.. the world might spontaneously combust or something really horrible and well.. maybe your lightbulb would burn out seeing as you wouldn't need light in that house anymore.. but my point is well, it won't. The world won't blow up if we shine shine shine. Everyone's heart might suddenly bloom wide open and (we might stop having heart disease as one of the number 1 cause of ditching this world) we might all start seeing without a clouded and fearful vision. We might start to see that the light that is shining in their hearts is a reflection of the light that shines in your heart. And, when your light sees their light they reach out and join and the light expands and looks for more light to join with, all the while understanding that there is room because light needs no space as we know it. Aww, now doesn't that feel great?!

Well, this is what I've learned in my first class along with fantastic information on Violas and Dandelions and the beautiful Cottonwood tree and mm mmm good nettles! Can't wait for the next class.

Spread the Love folks!

Peace,

Tammy

We're Moving! This is the last time tho..... :D

2009-05-06T18:39:00.000-07:00

This is our new home and the future home of my home based business I promise to follow through with.

I'm always amazing at the workings of Spirit and of the power in the Universe.

Thank you great loving and blessed Lights that Guide our way.

Bicycle, Bicycle, Bicycle!

2009-04-27T08:36:00.000-07:00

This is my new bike lock! I personally think it's as scary looking as the name said.. BEWARE bike locks. Well, it certainly frightened off any would be wanna be bike riders from taking my ride for a spin! Good kitty.

This is my pink Cadillac. Needs a bit of detailing work maybe.. shine it up on the outside as beautifully as it makes my heart shine when the wind is blowing through my helmet, and the cheerful singing of the birds are making my ears open wide in absolute bliss. Oh yeah.

Spread the Love folks!

Peace Goddess Tammy

P.S. Do you twitter? I'm still deciding! :D

Self Potrait of my Goddess Self

2009-04-25T21:35:00.000-07:00

Goddess Leonie inspired me deeply to create my own self portrait. However, the first to put the idea in my mind was the beautiful Deborah at Temenos of the Blessing Light. I'm not much of an artist at any rate I would say. Bad bad girl creating those terrible energetic thoughts. Would it even cross my mind to suggest to my most talented daughter that she is not much of an artist? I think not. I'm actually honestly proud of this little drawing. Simple as it may be it does capture my heart in this chosen moment in time. Even the heart shaped tear for my heart breaks when I think of some of the things that human beings are capable of. I choose not to hide who I am. I choose to love and to be love in every situation the presents itself. In this moment.

In this moment right now, what does your self portrait look like?

Spread the Love!

Peace Goddess Tammy

Herbs.. oh so lovely.

2009-04-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

Good Morning!

A truly fabulous day indeed. It's supposed to get to 15 degrees c here.. that's 59 degrees f.

I'm so excited about the beautiful herbs I bought in the lovely rock shaped/looking planter.

So there we have lovely Organic Basil, Organic Thyme, Organic Parsley.. you guessed it, Organic Chives! We found some pretty small round pebbles outside the front 'yard'. Really, it's not a yard of grass but a front yard of beautiful little pebbles. The little girl from down the street came over and we all found the most beautiful round little pebbles to assist these lovely herbs in their growing. If there are any really avid gardeners out there please correct me if this is wrong, but I don't think it's wrong. This is going to rest on my counter top in the kitchen.

This is my opening to a really exciting herbology course that I'm starting soon! More on that later.

That's it for now.

Spread the Love!

Tammy.. aka Tammy2luvs on twitter.. that addictive little social experiment.

Back!

2009-04-03T16:47:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Well, I'm back! Maybe a little slowly at first but here I am updating after what feels like a year. :) But, really it's only been a couple of months. Lots of changes here. We are settling in comfortably in beautiful Kelowna BC. Oh, Kelowna how I've missed you so!

And! I installed Norton anti-virus and shortly after my computer crashed. Completely and totally crashed. Somehow I managed to get things up and running again (please don't ask me how because even now thinking back I certainly can't remember how I did it) and thank goodness the day before I followed Norton's advice and backed up all my photo files in their little strange online vault. I don't pretend to understand these things really. But, I wonder if Norton didn't have something to do with the crash?? So, after talking with their support staff we managed to get those files back. Still I couldn't find them and I was dreading spending another hour on the phone when I downloaded Picasso 3 (love Picasso!) and they asked me if I wanted to find all the pictures in every folder on my computer I said Yes please! And.........yes........ Picasso found all our 5000+ photos stored on our computer. My tears were now tears of joy and I jumped around the living room in an excited hippy monkey jig.

However, all these photos are in Picasso folders and if I want to post something online I have to resave it to my pictures folder. A small task really. :)

So, here are a couple of pictures that I've taken from our lovely Kelowna. Hope you enjoy and I've missed all of my imaginary readers.. and those of you who aren't imaginary too! *snickersnortgiggle*

Frost on our windows. My Mom said we are losing hundreds of dollars in heat with these windows but wow was it pretty.

My favorite beach!

Pinecone bird feeders we made to attract the birds at our new home. It's been a pretty quiet yard compared to the frogs, deer, birds and raccoons at our last home. But, we'll work on it. :)

Spread the Love!
Tammy

P.S. Do you twitter? I've just signed up for this crazy little thing and I'm not quite sure what I think about it yet. I'm Tammy2luvs on there! :D

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T09:22:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!

I have to say first and foremost, thank you so much for all your wonderful support and your wonderful comments on my blog! Thank you for the sweet awards that I'm truly touched to have received!

I find myself a little sentimental on this morning of New Years Eve. We've accomplished much this year and I'm entirely satisfied with the way things have gone. Entirely satisfied!

What was the best part of 2008? Tough question because I think all of it was great. Aside from the cherished time spent with friends and family.. aside from the fact that we are alive, and how wonderful does it feel to be alive? To breathe!

I mean from the adorable kittens at Katie's Place that we helped nurture their hearts from fear to love. Evelyn and her powerful strong heart, offering each and every kitty a safe, warm and comfortable home for them no matter what the circumstance. Creating and manifesting more and more for these beautiful 4 legged beings.

From the time spent at the Burnaby Wildlife Center with the wild birds and animals. Coming so close to them and having that sweet Bushtit looking at me straight in the eye, then peeping so very cheerfully while curiously beeking my wedding band. I do believe that little bird flew snug into my heart for good and forever will this sweet tiny bird stay, chirping cheerfully all the while. A true gift!

Maybe the best part was for just a short second in time meeting Janice at Heart's On Noses and her most adorable piggies ever. Being there to see her love and her faithful dedication to the piggies that she so adores, Janice is an inspiration to all.

Watching my husband kick butt through a very tough and grinding 2 year course to be able to do even more for the world. To come home and offer much needed support to his brother, all the while offering support every single day in his life to strangers who will never even know he was there or what his name was. He inspired me to my toes!

To my son working through is dyspraxia and trying so hard all the time! To my daughter in moving through her shyness to open up and grow into even more. They inspire me.

I guess maybe the theme for this last year was about inspiration. Look at how much room people have in their hearts. Look at how strong a Spirit can be, even sometimes in the face of humanity's worst. Look at all that life has to offer us! Life is a miracle and as Dancing Dragonfly likes to share so often You are a miracle!

So here's to stepping into boundless spaces! Here's to you achieving your true heart's desire! It can be done and it will be done! Here's to Love.

Spread the Love folks and HAPPY NEW YEAR! yay!

With Joy,
Tammy

I am a Flower Smeller

2008-12-30T11:03:00.001-08:00

I was nominated for a beautiful award that I am so touched and so honoured to receive. Totally humbled and deeply grateful I give a heartfelt thank you to the amazing people at Go Smell The Flowers. I am a flower smeller. Yes, I am without a doubt one of those people that no matter what I am doing, I will stop and smell the flowers. Are you a flower smeller? I would highly recommend that you go and sniff out some of these amazing blogs here Flower Smellers . They will lift your spirits and bring you home. They will put a smile on your face and will bring a calmness to your heart. Go on now.. check it out. :)

Spread the Love!

Peace,

Tammy

Winter Blessings!

2008-12-23T08:38:00.001-08:00

Ahh.. the snow is so quiet.. falling gracefully down.. making sweet piles of bright fluffy crystals everywhere. I love the winters here. This year is it crisp, cold and we have lots and lots of snow everywhere. This is the first Christmas since 1971 that we have had snow all across Canada, including the very beautiful Victoria! This is also the first year since I can remember that I've really, truly enjoyed winter. For the first time in 5 years I have been shoveling the driveway with pure delight and windburn on my cheeks.. knowing that I'm doing it for a reason as it's not going to melt on it's own in a couple of days. I'm finding that inspiration is tickling up through my toes.. my legs... offering whispers of butterfly's in my tummy and my heart is reawakening from a long snooze. My throat is singing and my crown is smiling. All is well. Cheerful faces smiling at every turn.. even the couple in the huge black truck that cut off 3 people running a red light was smiling! Luckily so were the Angels that had everyone stay put on that slippery ice.

I was most inspired by this beautiful poem that a dear friend sent in a Christmas Card. The poem goes as so..

Notice each windowpane has a different

Swirling pattern of frost etched on the glass.

And notice how slowly the sun melts

The glaze. It is indelible: a fossil of a fern,

Or a coelacanth, or a derelict who

Rummages in his pockets and pulls out a few

Apple cores. Notice the peculiar

Angle of light in the slow shift of sunrise.

Where is the whir of the helicopter?

The search for escaped convicts in the city?

Be amazed at the shine and the wet.

Simply to live is a joy.

~Arthur Sze

You know who you are! I thank you beautiful lady. To this poem I was inspired to look yet again at the beautiful frost on our windows and was able to capture a couple of photos for who knows when I'll see the frost like that again.. if ever! :D

Spread the Love!

Tammy

When God Made EMT's

2008-12-13T19:23:00.000-08:00

When God Made EMS Providers...

When the Lord made EMT's and Paramedics, he was into his sixth day of overtime when an angel appeared and said, "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."

And the Lord said, "Have you read the specs on this order? An EMS provider has to be able to carry an injured person up a wet, grassy hill in the dark, dodge stray bullets to reach a dying child unarmed, enter homes the health inspector wouldn't touch, and not wrinkle their uniform."

"They have to be able to lift 3 times their own weight, crawl into wrecked cars with barely enough room to move, and console a grieving mother as they are doing CPR on a baby they know will never breathe again."

"They have to be in top mental condition at all times, running on no sleep, black coffee and half-eaten meals. And they have to have six pairs of hands."

The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands...no way."

"It's not the hands that are causing me problems," said the Lord, "It's the three pairs of eyes a medic has to have."

"That's on the standard model?" asked the angel.

The Lord nodded. "One pair that sees open sores as they're drawing blood and asks the patient if they may be HIV positive," (when they already know and wish they'd taken that accounting job.) Another pair here in the side of the head for their partners' safety. And another pair of eyes here in front that can look supportively at a frightened person and gently explain that their spouse of many years has departed this life."

"Lord," said the angel, touching his sleeve, "rest and work on this tomorrow."

"I can't," said the Lord, "I already have a model that can talk a 250 pound drunk out from behind a steering wheel without incident and feed a family of five on a private service paycheck."
The angel circled the model of the medic very slowly, "Can it think?" she asked.

"You bet," said the Lord. "It can tell you the symptoms of 100 illnesses; recite drug calculations in its sleep; intubate, defibrillate, medicate, and continue CPR nonstop over terrain that any doctor would fear...and still it keeps its sense of humor. This medic also has phenomenal personal control. He can deal with a multi-victim trauma, coax a frightened elderly person to unlock their door, comfort an assault victim's family, and then read an article in the daily paper about responders being too slow to locate a house (a house which had no street sign and no house numbers.)"

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the medic. "There's a leak,"
she pronounced. "I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model."

"That's not a leak," said the Lord, "It's a tear."

"What's the tear for?" asked the angel.

"It's for bottled-up emotions, for patients they've tried in vain to save, for commitment to that hope that they will make a difference in a person's chance to survive, for seeing an accident victim walk again, for the family time they will miss while serving the community, for life."

"You're a genius," said the angel.

The Lord looked somber. "I didn't put it there," He said.

This poem was written by anonymous person. An Angel themselves I'm sure. My husband does this work on a daily basis and to him I give a huge thank you. And, to all the emergency workers out there I say thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Spread the Love,

Tammy

Great Poem

2008-11-25T13:59:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving

I have been trying to read the script cut in these hills— a language carved in the shimmer of stubble and the solid lines of soil, spoken in the thud of apples falling and the rasp of corn stalks finally bare.

The pheasants shout it with a rusty creak as they gather in the fallen grain, the blackbirds sing it over their shoulders in parting, and gold leaf illuminates the manuscript where it is written in the trees.

Transcribed onto my human tongue I believe it might sound like a lullaby, or the simplest grace at table. Across the gathering stillness simply this: "For all that we have received, dear God, make us truly grateful."

~ Lynn Ungar ~

(Blessing the Bread)

That first line.. "I have been trying to read the script cut in these hills.." rocks my heart! I have truly, honestly, been trying to read this script as well. I look out over the water.. the rocks.. the mountains.. the trees.. the birds and the bees! hehe.. okay.. and they are all singing (so happily, joyfully.. ;)) or whispering in a language that I can not quite understand. I think they are all explaining how to bring forth from within that state of Grace. Of Wisdom and of Quiet. A place of unimaginable depth. Calm waters that no matter how big a storm whips up around us.. there is and always will be a deep calm silence that resides far within our being. A Peace that blesses our hearts in every moment. I think nature is trying to teach us to be free, to laugh, to allow the experience of great joy and to celebrate being alive! To go with the flow of life with curious eyes wondering what's around that next corner??

What do you suspect the script is saying in these hills?

Spread the Love!

Peace,

Tammy

Indigo Angel

2008-11-23T07:55:00.000-08:00

More of my little T's art. :)

Snuggling In

2008-11-22T21:44:00.001-08:00

What a success! The move is going very well. We are settling in nicely. I haven't been in a blogging state of mind as of late. I've been in a painting, organizing, decorating, exploring state of mind. I choose a lovely little colour called 'macaroni' for our main living room walls. It's really beautiful and I'm so happy we went with it. We have a beautiful fireplace in our living room and the colour looks amazing next to the deep red brick. I LOVE our red brick fireplace. Waiting for the chimney to be inspected and cleaned before building a fire is pure torture.

Here is my husband doing some hard work, covering up the pasty boring brown walls with our cheery macaroni walls. We have lovely dark wood bannister's and a little hard scrubbing with some Murphy's Oil Soap should get them up and shining bright again. Tomorrow a wonderful and highly sympathetic friend is coming over to help me paint the bedroom(s). I choose a beautiful kind of seafoamy green colour for them. A great colour anyway and it looks amazing with a dark chocolate brown.. going to look amazing with some chocolate brown curtains for sure, and some throw cushions. I wonder what those colours represent? I wonder if there is an aurasoma bottle that represents those colours. I should take a look out of curiosity.

Okay, that's all for me for now. Thank you for hanging in with me and stopping by! Wishing you all wonderful abundance and blessings!

Peace!
Tammy

I Choose Love

2008-11-09T20:50:00.000-08:00

.. a little hectic at times preparing for our upcoming move and pretty easy to loose yourself in the stress and react with grumbles and snips and snaps but I Choose Love!

Shawn Gallaway

Spread the Love!

Peace.

Full Speed Ahead

2008-10-25T19:33:00.001-07:00

Do you ever feel like everything around you is moving in fast forward and that’s exactly how it’s supposed to move at this time and that’s exactly how you expected it to move at this time but you yourself feel calm and relaxed? Everything, which is alot, is getting done smoothly and without great amounts of effort. This is how I feel with the odd gust of wind, which is good because we all need a cool breeze when life starts heating up. We have so much on our plates right now but everything is in Divine Order and happening exactly as it’s meant to happen! So, this is what happens when you move into total trust and open to allowing the Universe to take control once in a while. Imagine.. life doesn't fall apart!

The kittens that we are fostering from Katie's Place, are doing so well but will be leaving our care on October 30 and I feel so sad but also a little like a proud Mom! I’ve really really enjoyed our time and would continue to enjoy our time if it wasn’t time for us to move full speed ahead with our move. These adorable kittens have really taught us some wonderful lessons on letting go. They arrive full of fear and anxiety and they leave craving the gentle hands of people. Within a very short time these sweet young kittens completely let go of any fears they may have of the huge beasts staring at them and making strange sounds. They dissolve any anxiety they may have about those big hands with long claws coming down towards them and whether they like it or not gathering them up. These little kittens so vulnerable and innocent finally release any lasting thoughts that we may bite them with our big teeth as they sigh into your chest trusting that they are safe in the big warm paws cupping them so securely. A worthy replacement for Mom indeed. They go from Mom’s protective kisses to our protective snuggles. I trust these beautiful babies are going to find the most wonderful and loving homes and I thank them for teaching me a little more about letting go. Just simply letting go and walking right through any fears that may hold us back from reaching our ultimate goals.

Tug

They have moved from the safety of their little rabbit cage to more space in our larger toy room. When things are calm around the house the door is open and they run around having fun with us all. Schooner and Tug like to run back and forth from the toy room to the kitchen to the living room to the... often anyway but Clipper would rather hang with the people. I do the dishes and she often claws at my leg mewing to be picked up. If I ignore her (and offering a hello is being ignored in Clippers point of view) she’ll be sure to get my attention by digging her claws into my leg a little deeper. Beware if you sit down for the first kitty to claim your lap will be Tug! He’s a snuggly little guy and enjoys a good wrestle with the air in the nest of your crossed legs. Somedays he'll play king of the castle in your lap. Schooner will shy in quietly coming as close as she can without attracting your attention. She’s the lady of ladies and could teach many a kittens some wonderful manners. She’s always cleaning herself up and her brother and sister after a good eat. She never pushes or shoves her way in and waits for her turn patiently.. seeing as she’s the largest of the three she seems to know that there will always be enough to go around.

Schooner

Last night I snuck into the toy room and one by one they all opened their eyes and each of them staggered over in sleepy kitty fashion. Their tails lifted high in the air and their little motors started their engines. What surprised me the most was little Schooner started her engine for me also! The first time that she shyly pushed against me and allowed herself to completely relax.

Clipper

Have a wonderful day!

Spread the Love!

Peace,

Tammy

Henna Hands

2008-10-21T18:59:00.000-07:00

Henna hands. Our neighbors son is getting married this weekend and we've been invited to the wedding. It's quite exciting as it's an Indian wedding.. the second for us. :) We really enjoyed the first one and are looking forward to attending this weekend. It's a lovely treat to have our hands done with the rest of the ladies. I'm so glad my mouth should be feeling much better by this weekend so I can enjoy all the wonderful Indian food. Yummy! Yay.

Spread the Love!
Peace,
Tammy

Teeth and Kittens

2008-10-16T18:08:00.001-07:00

I had my wisdom teeth out today. Yuck. But, in some traditions teeth represent change. And, do we ever have some change coming up! My husband accepted a position in Kelowna! Yay. We've been waiting for this answer for what seems like forever! Really, we've been waiting to go home as long as we've been living down here. Sounds a bit like a waste of time doesn't it? Waiting to go home.. some days it did feel like a waste of time but it hasn't been. It's been a wonderful experience. So, we're very excited for our upcoming move. :) Out with the old energy no longer of use to us (wisdom teeth being pulled) and in with the new, fresh and clean energy.

And what would this be without pictures of the adorable kittens that we are helping to tame from Katie's Place? My husband took these last night, after a long afternoon of playing.

Also, Clipper (kind of renamed Kali).. she purrrs like a fine tuned mustang when you hold her. She snuggled in and her motor was louder then I ever heard it after I got home from the dentist. Talk about stress relief. :)

Also, a sneak peek at a project I started working on last night. :)

Spread the Love!
Peace,
Tammy

Day 11

2008-10-15T15:19:00.000-07:00

More fun with the little not so feral kittens now. We've been having alot of fun with them. They don't hiss.. don't spit.. don't claw and 2 don't run when we gather them up after they've been playing outside the cage.

They absoletly melt your heart in the quickest of ways. When you walk into the room they cry and mew and mew and cry staring at you.. begging you to please please let them play. Their little paws are at the top of the cage and they stuff their tiny faces against the bars. Oh my. So, needless to say they are spending more and more time outside the cage but when we are not around keeping a close eye on them then they are back in the bunny run for their own saftely still.

Schooner is still a little shy.. she's just shy period. A very gentle lady little Schooner is. Clipper loves to play on the side of the tub while you shower or bath! I guess being born in a boat she still has some seapaws. :) I feel her name should be Lady as a matter of fact. She's quiet and shy and she would much rather snuggle and lick them wrestle and grapple. As a matter of fact, my daughter watched an entire 1.5 hr movie while snuggling this pretty little lady. Clipper tries to play rough and she rarely fights back.. just cries out and Clipper walks off with her head and tail up high, feeling like the Queen, and looking for her next victum.

However firey Clipper is, she also has a very soft side she showed me today. She prefers the company of people at this time then the company of Roxy. Often when Roxy calls the other two off for a snuggle on the couch, Clipper will continue to play by herself. Today with a little mew she came up to my lap and snuggled in. Before long her little motor was in high gear and she had a lovely little cat nap with what looked to be a content smile. She's stolen my heart completely I'm afraid. With her playful rambunctiousness to her peaceful snuggles.. she's stolen my heart. :)

Rogue has made very good friends with Roxy. He follows her around often and she'll call to them and they all run to be by her side. She's a great babysitter as she's become quite concerned with their whereabouts at all times.

Spread the Love!

Peace,
Tammy

Day 4 with our little ferals

2008-10-10T05:19:00.000-07:00

What a fantastic day. Break through! These kittens are wonderful and inspiring as they are coming along so very quickly. My husband broke the barrier by scooping up little Schooner just like Mama might and snuggled her up even before she knew to be afraid.

I feel safe with him too Schooner. :)

The hissing is all but over and we are able already to reach in and snuggle them up to our heart. Albeit, for only about 30 seconds at a time.. they are still kittens after all. I don't let my children hold them yet as they still spook pretty quickly but they are reaching in and petting them as often as the kittens are awake.

My husband has all but fallen in love with the little tuffy Tug and has consequently renamed him Rogue. I came home from dropping our beloveds off at school and off I pattered into the bedroom to find my husband exclaim like a little boy while snuggling with the little black kitten. "His name is Rogue! And, he's mine." lol What am I going to say?? I think his name should be Spirit personally but it's a no go. He's not mine after all. ;)

Our female Roxy has been wonderful coming closer and setting a very good example to teach the babies that humans are fun! They have been watching every move she makes as well.

She was sunning herself on her cat tower and looking very relaxed so I thought it would be a good time to introduce them informally. One by one I took the kittens to see her and she most certainly has her favorite. Interesting that her and Rogue have some stuff to work out between them however. I hope you enjoy the pictures. :)

Not too interested in Rogue.. nope.

Adorable and very playful Clipper. Clipper would rather play on the cat tower then worry about the bigger kitty on it.

Look at that face!

She's such a good seragote watchful Mom kitty!

And, this is how you scratch. Are you watching Schooner?

After you loosen everything up, it's time for a bath. She loves Schooner.

Schooner needs her love also. She would cry the most when she saw Roxy walk by.

She turned her back on Tug.. err.. Rogue. Aww.

But, all is not lost for Roque yet!

He just has to remember his manners and not poof and hiss at the Mama cat.

Spread the Love folks! :)

Peace,

Tammy

The Rainbow Butterfly

2008-10-09T18:51:00.000-07:00

Oh my. The rainbow caterpillar did turn into a rainbow butterfly!

More Tiana art!

Update on the sweet wild kittens first thing tomorrow morning with lots of pictures. :)

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The Rainbow Caterpillar

2008-10-09T07:07:00.000-07:00

More of my daughters art.

This is an alien, riding a rainbow Caterpillar that came down from.... a rainbow of course!

Day 2

2008-10-06T12:32:00.000-07:00

Day 2:

This is day 2 with our adorable little feral kittens that were born in the bottom of a boat. I have to say.. the first thing I was shocked about is just how messy kittens can beI am astounded with the progress made already in such a short amount of time. Little Tug (he's the pure black one with a tiny bow tie on his chest) is the only one still attempting to scare us off with a couple of hisses. Last night we had them down in the living room with us while we watched TV and chatted. They were all out and about curious and excited but ever so careful as their Mommy taught them well. They are particularly drawn to our female Roxy and whenever she walks by they paw at the side of the run mewing as loud as their vocal cords and muster. She walks by.. gives a little hiss and seems totally disgusted. I have a feeling that they are already starting to win her over however because she seems to enjoy the fact that everytime she looks at her they come to full attention and call out.

Where did she go Clipper? Huh? Do you know Schooner?? Is she coming back?? Can I see too?

I felt it appropriate this morning to remove the lid off of the kennel within the bunny run. They are being more and more social and I don't want to give them a space to keep their fears of people enclosed. This also gives them a little more space. They seem quite comfortable with the new arrangement at this point. I have also added a Rose Quartz and Silver Sheen Obsidian in their space. The kittens are so wrapped up with fear of people that these Spirits are amazing teachers for them to move out of that fear and into love. (And, while not all humans are safe I didn't share that with them because I know the humans that they end up with will be safe) I believe these stone elders are teaching them that Love is a good thing and for them allow themselves to be safe in the arms of love. ;)

I was easily able to spoon feed them some baby food. They love chicken as I was told by Tracey at Katie's Place and she wasn't kidding! When I first put my hand in there holding the spoon our little tuffy Tug gave an Oscar worthy hiss and a good swat at the spoon. The next second however he realized that I have some pretty serious good stuff on that spoon and was blowing bubbles in it. Very happy kittens, very much enjoy being spoon fed.

Oh save some for me Clipper! Clipper.. wait don't eat it all..

Oh yeah.. I'm so getting in on this now.. No more Mr. Niceguy!

The highlight of the morning was that I was able to stroke Clippers tail without him worrying I might chew it off. This was wonderful considering they haven't been in our care for 24 hrs yet. :)

I feel confident that these little kittens will come around in no time at all. :) It's lunch time now and they already mew the moment one of us leaves the room. We are sure to call out to them and say hello and that they are just fine indeed. :)

Spread the Love!
Peace,
Tammy

Day 1 with our Feral little fosters.

2008-10-05T15:43:00.001-07:00

We went to our favorite little kitty shelter, Katie's Place on the weekend and found some beautiful kitty's as usual! I was particularily drawn to an adorable instigator named Ginger. Ginger knew the way to my heart as he put his two paws on my shoulder and began kneading and nuzzling. Ginger has been with Katie's Place for a couple of weeks now and I hope he finds a loving home soon.

But, we also found some adorable little feral kittens.. so scared they wouldn't even come out of their kennels and would hiss and growl and swat when you came close. These little kittens are only about 7 weeks old and totally adorable! Evenlyn mentioned they need a good foster home to care for them and tame them so they can easily find a wonderful and caring family to love them forever. I left my name and number to call in case they needed a home for them and lo and behold I was delighted to get one. Off I run with some wonderful instructions and all the necessary equipment to successfully tame and snuggle these wild kittens. Born in the bottom of a boat, these adorable kitty's are named Clipper, Schooner and Tug. This is our little journey with these lovely little kittens. Stay tuned! :)

One half hour into fostering. Curious little clipper checking us out.

I won a prize! :)

2008-10-04T19:28:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited that I won an amazing prize from Kerry over at Snickerdoodles (I love that name!) I won a $100 gift certificate to Fig Kids!!!!! Fig kids is an amazing store with organic clothes. I can't wait to do some shopping and get my little ones into these wonderfully ethical clothing! Really, go have a peek at Snickerdoodles.. she has a really fun blog with lots of good stuff to look at and stay tuned for her really awesome contests as well! Also, check out Fig Kids.. it's worth a look. Ethical and organic clothing to put your most precious treasures in. The babydoll dress for girls and the boys muscle shirt are a couple of my favorites! They also have a clothing line for adults! Yay! Thank you FigKids for your generosity and thank you Kerry for such a terrific blog!

This is also Day 3 with the beautiful little feral foster kittens we are caring for. They are becoming more and more curious about us and definitely more used to us as I move their cage to whatever room I'm in. I am really excited about the progress they are making. We can reach in now and pet them and while they hiss.. they don't not swat or attempt to bite. They cry whenever we leave the room and are quiet again when we show we haven't gone far. They are very good little kittens as they use the litter box regularly and are eating and drinking well. Our Roxy girl has a good upclose sniff at them today. They were very excited to see her. She let off one good hiss and with her ears back stalked away again. lol Through word of mouth alone we may have already found 2 wonderful loving families! With a desire to have only an indoor kitty as a part of their family, Katie's Place will surely be happy to hear that. So far so good little kittens! Good work.

Spread the Love!

Something to warm the Heart

2008-10-03T13:22:00.000-07:00

Our sweet Toe Matar is still missing but here is a little something to warm the heart. :)

Spread the Love!
Peace,
Tammy

Toe Matar

2008-10-03T07:09:00.000-07:00

We're feeling sad. Our Toe Matar kitty has been missing for about 36 hours now. He escaped outside on us. He loves it outside so much we always have to be careful as there are lots of coyotes and dogs that sometimes run loose in the area. This time he escaped and now we haven't seen him for a while. We are pretty worried about him. Hopefully he comes home soon.

Peace.

Purrfect mates

2008-09-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

Too much time on my hands...!

2008-09-25T07:52:00.000-07:00

I've got too much time on my hands! Poor me right? But, I'm lonely these days.. I need to have some fun and break out of the daily grind! Do you know what I mean? My husband has been kicking butt this last 2 years in a Advanced Care Paramedic Course. It's been a good 2 years! A fine ride I do say so myself. Only a couple of more weeks and we'll know the long awaited answer that we've been looking for. I don't want to talk to much about it yet. Suffice to say it's crunch time, woohoo. I was hoping to get some AC/DC tickets really bad but they sold out in like 4 minutes! So, my husbands friend said he has some and I said SURE! But, my husband said.. well it's right at that crunch time and what if we can't make it? Hmm.. It's AC/DC! The one band that I've always wanted to see more then any other in concert.

****Random thought alert**** My husband looks sooooo darned sexy in his uniform. He has this one pair of work pants and I have to say to myself.. 'seriously.. does his butt really look that cute in those?' I honestly have a thing for a man in uniform.. like a paramedic.. police officer or firemen... oooh for some reason the forest fire firemen.. yep. Really hard workers and so manly! Yes.. I get all blushy and giggly inside like I have a highschool crush or something.

My little ones are rocking the school thing. I'm soooo proud of them and relieved! They are making new friends by the day and are having a blast! This makes me so happy but I know I'm missing them alot more then they are missing me I'll tell you for certain. To combat my bordom, (my Mom used to always tell me that a bored person is a boring person.. doh!) I've started going to the gym almost daily.. that should be a good way to knock off a few of the extra pounds I put on over the years and keep my brain from running too far ahead of me. Right now I think I've finally at least got a lasso around it and I'm slowly reeling it back in. Slowly settling back down into my body because I can't make anything move by pushing and shoving. Just have to wait it out and be patient!

I haven't been overly creative lately either as I've been fighting off a really ugly headache and earache but for the last two days it's been gone! Finally.. tho I'm still taking a daily shot of Wheat Grass and upping my vits and water intake. The doctor said he could find nothing wrong at all and suggested stress. So, now I'm calling upon my inner Warrior goddess and standing strong back in my center again.

Christopher and Tia did this really fun post yesterday about Pounce. I really want to copy them because I think it's so smart and I also really really love pounce. So maybe I will tomorrow. hehehe

But, for now I went to the shop local feature and found this pretty ring from mareastudiodesigns in Vancouver. It's on my list. Isin't it so simple and pretty?! I've been into the gemstone rings lately. Loving them.. I could have one on each finger if I found it comfortable.

Okay, that's all I have. Little ones are out early today and I'm rather happy about that! :)

Spread the Love!

Peace,
Tammy

Bread

2008-09-22T05:47:00.000-07:00

The first time that I made bread for my husband I burnt it to a crisp! I was so excited to make it as my Mom used to make bread by hand all the time. All this effort with him poking curiously around me watching and sniffing. I set the oven and set the timer and went off to get read for work. I remember smelling it thinking.. oooh coming along nicely and then the timer went off and like a proud Mama I opened the oven door to be bombarded with the smell of burnt bread. Doh!

My husband seeing my crest fallen face quickly takes the bread and starts scraping off the top saying the bread is still perfectly good inside. He proceeds to show me by slicing the brick of bread and popping it in the toaster while I gave him a hug and kiss and boy was he my knight just then. Off to work I headed out the door while feeling like a million bucks. But, for some reason this day I had forgotten something and so inside I ran back in to find him putting my new bread slices in the garbage and putting 2 new bought slices in the toaster! LOL I set the oven at 475 instead of 375 by the way! Lesson learned. :)

Anyway, today I'm making bread again and thought perhaps I would share the step by step instructions. It really felt quite wonderful doing it and I think I'm going to make it more often and try out different variations of it. My daughter showed a huge interest and that alone is enough for me to keep making it by scratch. :) It's my first time blogging something like this so bare with me okee doke?

Delicious White Bread Recipe from the old Pillsbury Complete Book of Baking Cookbook. This was one that my Mom used to have and handed it down to me. Awesome recipes in it and it never has failed me yet! Duck tape holds it together and the pages are not in order anymore but I seem to find what I'm looking for anyway.

Ingredients:

5 to 6 cups all purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 pkg. active dry yeast

2 cups water

1/4 cup oil or shortening

1 tablespoon margarine or butter, melted

Step by step! :D

1. In large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast; blend well.

2. In small saucepan, heat water and oil until very warm (120 to 130F). Add warm liquid to flour mixture.

3. Blend at low speed until moistened; beat 3 minutes at medium speed.

4. By hand, stir in an additional 2 1/2 to 3 cups flour until dough pulls cleanly away from sides of bowl.

5. On floured surface, knead in 1/2 to 1 cup flour until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.

6. Place dough in greased bowl; cover loosely with plastic wrap and cloth towel. Let rise in warm place (80-85F) until light and doubled in size, 45 to 60 minutes.

7. Grease two 8x4 or two 9x5 inch loaf pans. Punch down dough several times to remove all air bubbles.

8. Divide dough into 2 parts; shape into loaves. Place in greased pans.

9. Cover; let rise in warm place until dough fills pans and tops of loaves are about 1 inch above pan edges, 30 to 35 minutes.

10. Heat oven to 375F. Uncover dough. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when lightly tapped. Immediately remove from pans; cool ion wire racks. Brush with melted margarine or butter.

Ooops! Those are my sons new rainboots.

Here is the finished product! ;) :) And, not even burnt!

Makes 2 18 slice loaves.

Throw in some raisins and cinnamon if you like raisin toast in step 1. :) Let me know how it goes if you try it also! :D

Spread the Love!

Peace,

Tammy

International Day of Peace

2008-09-21T08:48:00.000-07:00

Today is International Day of Peace so Peace and Love and Joy to you all! May we link hands and in doing so link our Hearts and raise our voices in a song that carries the messages to all corners of this beloved Earth.

"Hearts for Peace": International Day of Peace Movie

Spread the Love!
Peace,
Tammy

Shadow Shot Sunday

2008-09-20T10:45:00.001-07:00

Here I am going to play Shadow Shot Sunday with Hey Harriet! :)

So, here they are. :)

Spread the Love!

Peace,

Tammy

Sparta!

2008-09-17T19:32:00.000-07:00

So cute!

The Dalai Lama says...

2008-09-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

"The practice of compassion and caring for others immediately brings us inner strength and inner peace. Of course, compassion may also benefit others indirectly, but what is certain is the benefit that we ourselves experience. It is quite clear, therefore, that if we are really concerned about our own future and the happiness of our own life, we should develop a mental attitude in which the practice of compassion plays a central role. I sometimes jokingly tell people that if we want to be truly selfish, then we should be wisely selfish rather then foolishly selfish."

"This is the reality. Think about these points and experiment with them. Eventually you will develop greater awareness of what I'm talking about."

(Excerpt from Illuminating the Path to Enlightenment by the Dalai Lama)

I LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE! And, here is where I go on with my thoughts, so feel free to stop now. ;)

Most of us have been raised in a kill or be killed world. But now most of us know that isin't the way. And, by nature we humans can often be selfish. Sometimes, we don't want to do something because perhaps we wonder what's in it for me? Well, that's what in it for you when you become a more selfless and compassionate person. You become yourself, more at peace.

Now, if peace isin't something that you are looking for within yourself, then you must figure out why you are addicted to drama. Why are you punishing yourself? What have you done that's so bad in this world that you don't deserve peace within? What have you done that so bad that others don't deserve your compassion and love? I suspect.. nothing.

For one day allow yourself to practice compassion for others. Okay.. if you want to stay mad at yourself fine. But just try.. even for 1 hour and then the next hour, whatever situation comes up for you today.. practice compassion. They cut you off in traffic.. wow.. they must really be in a hurry "I send you blessings so that you may be in a state of peace and trust that all is in perfect timing". They serve you the wrong food for the 2nd or 3rd time... things must really be quite stressful and disorganized in the kitchen "I send you blessings for you to know that all is in perfect timing and perfect order" The line is loooooong and you're running late. I know it's not the cashier or lack of them but that I didn't give myself enough time today. Lesson learned!

Remember, that when you commit to becoming a more compassionate or caring person.. when you say.. okay.. I'm going to give this a good shot.. you may be given more opportunity to practice things. It may not be a perfect day where everything goes your way because what good would that do to help teach? These ones that seem to challenge you and really piss you off my be the angels that are sent to help you learn.

It's not that being compassionate is weak. Your not weak it you don't rant about your food or if you don't finger the person in front of you or if you don't express your displeasure at the situation. Your weak when you so quickly cave into your anger.. your mind.. your ego.. your judgements..

Your judgements of others are only self judgment. They are parts of yourself that you can not accept.. that you dislike.. that cause you discomfort. There is no part of ourselves that is bad or good. We just are. We learn.. we grow.. we make mistakes and we learn some more. It doesn't mean you give yourself permission to keep making those same mistakes.. you make them.. you learn from them.. you let them go and move forward. We just are who we are and that's okay. We are all mirrors to each other. We're in this together and it's so much more fun when you are at Peace with yourself. Life is a blast with all the challenges and without! Lets join together and make things more comfortable for ourselves and others!

Anyway, just wanted to get that off my chest!

Spread the Love!

Peace,

Tammy

Sicks kids

2008-09-15T08:06:00.001-07:00

Good day all. Monday morning and my little ones woke up coughing and sneezing and sniffling and wiping their runny eyes.

Mommy sais.. "Now if you stay home today you both know that it is a day of watching cartoons and staying in bed. No playing now. You must stay tucked in your warm blankets and snug with your pillows and bears and pick your favorite movies. After lunch with no complaints it is nap time. No playing to be had at home when you are sick.. only laying down and resting is allowed."

I wanted it to sound like a stern, firm no arguments day it sucks to be home from school no play kind of day but instead I think it sounds rather lovely myself! lol

So snuggled up in their favorite chairs they are with a tissue box and bag to put the used tissue in.

I set up some boiling tea tree scented water to add some moisture to the air in the kitchen and my wonderful nebulizer with lavender and tea tree oils in the living room. The sun is shining and I'm going to work sterilizing the house.. with tea tree oil. Tea tree oil has the most wonderful anti-bacterial properties and you can use it to clean your kitchen counters to applying it directly on a cut! See Tea Tree Oil and More Tea Tree Oil info.

Also, this fabulous women over at Snickerdoodles has an awesome contest on right now that I wanted to share with you all. I'm really hoping that anyone not interested in this contest might leave a comment on her blog saying that they found her through me and that actually gives me an extra chance to win! What's the prize? Check this out. I want to win this for my husband so bad! He's just graduated the Advanced Life Support Paramedic course!!!!!! I'm crazy proud of him. He's been working for 2 years to get this completed and he deserves something very special. We've been 'very' broke these last 2 years also because I stay at home with our children and while I've taken in a couple of daycare children to watch it still didn't make much of a dent! He's always puts me being at home with the children as the number 1 priority and I'm so grateful for a man like him! He dedicates his life to helping others. A true hero in my heart as he has chosen this work. He chose it! And, I know that I wouldn't be able to do the work that he does. So, I'm hoping to win this fantastic prize over at Snickerdoodles so that he can enjoy a much deserved award!! So, again.. if this is something that you don't see yourself getting to Kelowna, British Columbia Canada to enjoy.. please leave a comment mentioning you found her on my site Rainbows and Sunshine and then I get an extra entry. :) :) Plus, in all honesty.. she has a really fun blog!

Spread the Love!
Peace,
Tammy

P.S.

Since I've completed this post.. my son is now playing 'quietly Mommy am I allowed?' with his baby trucks and my daughter is 'nicely Mommy can I please' colouring. I'm such a pushover! Doh.

A Mini Activist with a Huge Spirit

2008-09-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

My little girl wrote a song for her Me Bag at school tonight. She proudly announced for her last Me Bag she was going to write a song and we said.. right on baby!

So off she went.. staying up late to complete her beautiful song and out she bounced proudly with this. (All right reserved.. copyrighted.) ;) lol

I cannot express how incredibly proud, touched and blown away I am by her Heart.

Here is her song.

Come On Let's Go!
Come on let's go Everybody!

Let's get in the car,
We're going to the pandas.

Lets bring sum bambo,
So they can live forever!

So, come on lets go!
We beter hurry,
their geting hungri

So come on lets go!

For more information see here.. WWF Pandas or here Panda and see Baby Pandas!

Spread the Love!

Peace,

Tammy

Wake Up!

2008-09-11T06:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I went for a most lovely bike ride. The fog was just starting to surrender to the sun. The spider webs still glistened with beads of of dew.

I felt compelled to take a road I had never grazed down before, when I came across a farm house with a dozen or so beautiful black and white cows. The interesting thing is that these cows noticed me even before I noticed them.

One of them took particular interest and was watching me between the bushes as I was watching her in fascination that she was watching me so intently. I pulled a little uturn to go and have a little visit. As I did, the whole crew started very curiously coming to the corner of the fence. I'd really never experienced anything like it in all honestly. I snapped a few pictures while talking away to them. I mentioned that it's times like this that I'm really glad I'm a vegetarian. I distinctly heard a murmur go up in their rank wondering what a vegetarian is? I said..well.. I don't eat meat. And, I heard another murmur wondering what meat is? I dropped the subject then. ;) lol

I continued along, I heard the distant call of an Eagle. I saw some children's toys in the yard of another home and all of a sudden I was overcome by gratitude that here I am enjoying a quiet and relaxing bike ride. Simple as that. Overcome by gratitude that I have the freedom to do this. That I am Alive! I became deeply conscious of my surroundings and I woke up from my walking dreaming and I remembered once again that this opportunity if a gift. Even, when life seems to get a little torn and tattered for a little while.. this is still a gift and the opportunities are more then to grow and learn then when life is smooth and easy.. because it's then that sometimes we tend to forget a little more to appreciate this gift of life.

So, I guess.. today, try and look around you with open eyes. Wake up from the things that we do that are so unconcious and when we glaze over moving in robot mode WAKE UP again! And, look again at that toast popping and listen again to how beautiful the word Mom sounds because someone doesn't get to hear that sound. Get down and really smell the grass as it is just before you cut it. Watch that bird camouflaged in the trees because they have been diligently watching you. The spider web all covered in dew.. really get it.. take it in and marvel at the genius of nature. Listen closely to the sounds of nature around you. Press your head against the earth and hear her breathing. There are sounds under there! Sit quietly, close your eyes for a moment and really open your ears to what the Universe is whispering. Take notice of that animal or bug or bird that comes close to have a peek at you and do not be afraid. Remember that everything you see and hear and feel today from your desk to your world someone in this world has never ever seen or experienced and be grateful! :) It may not be there tomorrow to enjoy ever again. All we have is this moment right now. Grab it, dance with it, rejoice in it, Love it!

Okay, thanks for sharing in my gratitude today. It's something I needed to get off my chest. :)

Spread the Love!

Peace,

Tammy

Good Morning Starshine

2008-09-10T06:15:00.000-07:00

These last couple of weeks have been busy!

We had my daughters Birthday a couple of days ago. She wanted a 10 stack of sparkle pancakes for breakfast. Yes.. a ten stack. lol Her wish is my command!

Then for lunch she wanted Sushi. So, for lunch she gets sushi.

Then we took her out for dinner and the whole restaurant sang her happy birthday while she stood on a chair. She was pretty delighted about that.

She wanted a digital camera for her birthday and we managed to swing that for her. A pink one no less.

I made her cupcakes for her class. I felt so sorry for her teacher as there were two girls with their birthdays in her class so cake and cupcakes. Plus, I made my icing pink so there was that horrible red food dye helping to spaz them up. I tried hard to make pretty little roses for the top of each cupcake but as you can see my best efforts still didn't turn out that great! lol

But, I made up for it because I also sent along a lovely room spray that I made with essential oils to help keep the children cheerful but also grounded and calm. She loved it.. good news. :)

On the way home we stopped of course to see the sweet littlehorses by the side of the road.

Short and sweet today.. that's all! :)

Spread the Love!

Peace,

Tammy

Smile

2008-09-05T20:33:00.000-07:00

Fingerprint Friday

2008-09-05T06:59:00.000-07:00

Fingerprint Friday

Steven Curtis Chapman sings:

I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know its true
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of God

After a stressful first couple of days of the school week, I went and did my favorite thing. I layed down on my lawn and surrendered! I was dazzled!

Inspired by the wonderful Pampering Beki

And, my husband who stayed up after a very long and busy night shift to be sure he saw his little boy off to with a few encouraging.. manly words. (my boys)

School's In! Oooooh.

2008-09-04T06:32:00.000-07:00

School has started again! I can't believe it already. Last week we a tough week for me. I hate seeing them go. I would homeschool in a heartbeat if it weren't for my strong husband reminding me that everything is going to be great! I'm so lucky to have such a strong man in my life. He truly keeps me good and grounded.. still, I might have tried harder to convince him if he wasn't reminding me of all the dazzling alone time we are going to have again! Yippee!

So, my childrens teachers this year are wonderful. The classrooms are full of fresh and exciting energy.

My daughters teacher I know from when my son had her and she is outstanding! My favorite thing about her is the way she sees each child as a bud waiting to blossom. She's a gentle voice, a gentle heart and the ability to still have control of the classroom without exerting her frustrations on the children.

I'm also very excited because she's open to an aromatherapy spray that I'm going to be creating today for the room. A little blend to help keep all these excited children calm, grounded and relaxed. It's also helpful with gently increasing the vibrations in the room and help to keep out the negative energy and keep the positive flowing like a gentle river.. I feel it promotes peace, harmony and an optimal learning atmosphere.

My son has his best friend in his class and is already acting like a bit of the class clown. I'm not sure he'll be at the same table as his best friend for long! lol I was worrying so much about him because he has dyspraxia. But, he's extremely smart and has more common sense then most children his age. He gets everything that's going on around him and I have to be quite careful with my own thoughts sometimes as he picks it up and then feels a need to protect Mommy with showers of hugs and kisses. So, my worries over his ability to communicate with others and how his new teacher is going to be with him.. he has proven already to me that it's a waste of my time.

His speech is getting better and better everyday.. when he was 3.5 or 4.. his speech pathologist actually had the nerve to tell me in so many words that he was hopeless with his speech. She did actually tell me that he would never be able to hold a normal conversation with anyone. She's certainly not up with higher brain mentalities and the power of heart and soul I tell you! I can also tell you I gave her a good tongue lashing.. don't mess with my children! ;)

When we saw the pediatric neurologist, she told us that by age 10 there will be no problems at all and we won't even notice. With my son's heart and courage and strength of will.. we are noticing improvements with his speech on a weekly basis! The same went for his viral asthma.. nooo the asthma specialist said.. give him steroids twice a day for 8 months of the year and maybe by puberty he will outgrow it. I asked him about aromatherapy and alternative treatments and that man laughed at me. Can you believe it?! I smiled politely.. gave him the steroids for a little bit while I went deep into uncovering the root of his problem and alternative methods. Between help from an awesome Shamanic Elder, Reiki, Crystal Grids, Prayers and a nebulizer full of appropriate aromatherapy I'm so pleased to say the next winter without the steroids, he had one flare up from viral asthma instead of having them every month for a couple of weeks! aha! And, I expect this year will be even better. I might not have gone this route however, if my husband wasn't a paramedic and we kept a very close eye on things with him. I completely believe in western medicine as well and am very thankful to live in Canada where all the medical you can ask for is at your fingertips but I also had to trust my intuition that there is/was another option here.

Okay, that's all for me right now.. taking some deep breaths and finally just beginning to relax again.

Spread the Love folks!
Peace,
Tammy

A blog award!

2008-09-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much BeadedTail for this awesome blog award! I'm so honoured and I truly love your blog as well.. not to mention your lovely jewelry and the fact that you are a fellow member of EtsyForAnimals and donate 10% of your sales from your fabulous store to animal charities. :)

I'm lucky to call you my blogging friend!

It's always kind of exciting knowing that someone out there is reading your blog.. even more exciting if they feel the desire to come back and read some more! Most of the time you try and stay slightly detached and think it doesn't really matter if someone reads it.. it's a wonderful way to just post what excites you.. what your passionate about.. what makes your world go around a little.. sometimes you forget don't you think.. that anyone is reading it at all until you receive a lovely comment that you've cheered up someone's day.. or someone received a message that they needed to see for that day to make it a little brighter, or clearer, encourages them to make a little difference themselves. :)

So, thank you to everyone who reads my blog for a second or for many times over! And, if you have never commented.. come out come out where ever you are and then I can peek at you too!

Okay.. so here are the rules (and for those that appose rules) here is a suggestion for what you can do to nominate other blogs that you love! :D

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog;

2. Link the person you received your award from;

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs;

4. Put links of those blogs on yours; and

5. Leave a message on the blogs that you’ve nominated.

I love so many blogs and so I am just going to do a random draw out of all my favorites. :)

A life filled with Colour

Roots that Heal

Thank you so much!

Spread the Love,

Tammy

Dexter and the Rose Quartz

2008-09-01T07:38:00.000-07:00

Our turtle, Dexter, loves Rose Quartz. He sleeps on this pretty pink rock most of the time.. I think they've become good friends. He's a sweet turle.

2008-08-31T19:34:00.000-07:00

Aww.. isin't he cute? :)

The Bushtit

2008-08-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

This is a little information on what's called a Bushtit!

I have started volunteering at a wonderful Wildlife Rehab Center. It's an amazing place and I very much enjoy being a part of their team. So, busy over the spring and summer as you can imagine with birds, baby birds, mammals and on and on. The last time I was in, I was cleaning out the avery of a Bushtit. This little bird had originally come in with 2 other siblings. Babies that lost their Mom to most likely a cat. This little fellow has been there for about 2 months now and is doing very well. Not the little fellow that you see above but one that looks very close to it.

These sweet little birds are very very social and while I was cleaning out his aviary he would virtually land on my hand talking away to me. So delicate and tiny and me so big and scary! He kept lightly touching his beak to my wedding band.. pecking curiously at the little diamonds in it all the while cheeping cheerfully. This bird has flown straight into the very darkest depths of my heart.. I had little tears of love welling up in my eyes.. I was so blown away by his courageous heart. I would move the little curtain over and peek at him and he would immediatly peek back at me talking all the while. lol For something so tiny, the joyful power of healing the heart they have is tremendous!

They have a beautiful voice! See here Birdnote and press play on the little button to hear their sound.

They eat tiny insects, spiders and will nibble on some berries and seeds. They also tend to love Suet feeders.

Their nests are impressive, woven, hanging baskets with a hole high up on the side of the nest and a passageway to the nest chamber at the bottom. They can be up to a foot long, and is generally built of spider webs, moss, lichen, and other plant material. Inside, the nest is lined with plant down, fur, and feathers.

They are very social birds, keeping in groups of 40+.

Another interesting thing about Bushtit's is that they are even very social with other birds.. to the point where other birds will even help feed the Bushtit's fledglings for them!

Bushtit's are only about 11cm or 3.5 inchs in length and only weigh about 5 grams.

When feeding they often hang upside down to get at the underside of leaves.

They reside from extreme southwestern British Columbia, southern Idaho, southwestern Wyoming, and the Oklahoma panhandle southward.

Well, that's about it.

Thanks for stopping by!

Spread the Love!

Peace,

Tammy

Ferrierite

2008-08-27T17:11:00.000-07:00

This is Ferrierite. I call it Feri for short. Isin't this the cutest little stone ever? Well.. maybe just the cutest little stone that you've seen today at least?

It hails from Kamloops Lake, BC. It was named for Walter Frederick Ferrier (1865-1950), Canadian geologist and mining engineer.

To me.. this little guy is just reaching out begging to hug you!

I have this book that says Ferrierite emanates a joyful reality and acts to transmit joy to the person who's care it's in.

I don't normally like to read in books what metaphysical properties stones have. Don't get me wrong.. I am one that believes that Stones do often have a most helpful vibration to suit whatever state you are in. I have been zapped one to many times to not believe! I LOVE rocks and crystals and have a house full of the beautiful beggers.. by beggers.. I mean that just about every time I see one they beg to come home with me! lol

My husband shakes his head and swears we're going to need a whole other moving truck just for them when we move. Think what you like, that's perfectly okay with me.. but, you cannot deny the pure wonder and beauty in the stones that grow under our feet. :)

But back to the book, this one I had a giggle because it's exactly spot on to me. This is such a joyful little stone.. only less then an inch high but a giant in his desire to cheer you up!

That's all for me.

Spread the Love!

Peace. Tammy's out!

Things to Think

2008-08-26T08:06:00.000-07:00

Things to Think

Think in ways you've never thought before.

If the phone rings, think of it as carrying a message

Larger than anything you've ever heard,

Vaster than a hundred lines of Yeats.

Think that someone may bring a bear to your door,

Maybe wounded and deranged; or think that a moose

Has risen out of the lake, and he's carrying on his antlers

A child of your own whom you've never seen.

When someone knocks on the door,

Think that he's about

To give you something large: tell you you're forgiven,

Or that it's not necessary to work all the time,

Or that it's been decided that if you lie down no one will die.

~ Robert Bly ~

(Morning Poems)

Spread the Love!

Random Act Monday

2008-08-25T06:55:00.000-07:00

Each Monday, I am going to post about which Random Act of Kindness I have done that day or earlier during the week. For all that I am grateful for in this world.. all that I have recieved.. I feel it's important to give back. Not shout out in a boastful way to say look at what a great person I/you are/we are, but to say the little things matter do matter! One person can and does make a difference to lighten the load in this world. To perhaps offer inspiration to others, if we could be so blessed to do so. To pay it forward!

I found this wonderful website The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation in my search to give you a big list of ideas for Random Acts and I have been inspired beyond by it! I intend to print out some bookmarks and have them laminated. I may include some with any Etsy Orders I receive. Perhaps leave one at the doctors, dentists, bus, school, restaurant that we may have visited. :)

So, my random act that I am posting this Monday is that I put a quarter in the meter for a stranger when I saw it was about to expire.

Random acts of Kindness we can all do. So simple.. would you like to join in with me? :)

Spread the Love!

Peace,

Excerpt from View #8

2008-08-21T07:52:00.000-07:00

View #8
(excerpt)

Sometimes

the world is merely

empty, except for its refuse,

and goes nowhere,

like acul-de-sac. And sometimes

it's empty but wide open,

the fruitless winter vines

dreaming of a vintage season.

You don't need anything

that isn't yours to keep going.

If someone is holding you

inside themselves

the way you're learning

to hold them, so much

the better. Sometimes

there is no difference

between a mind and a mind,

a heart and a heart, a mind

and a heart. Sometimes

the world won't move

unless you move.

Won't hold its course

unless you show it how.

And sometimes, the world holds

the two of you in one moment

and whispers: Yes. Now.

~ Thomas Centrolella ~

(Views from along the Middle Way)

Spread the Love!

A beautiful way to start the day!

2008-08-20T06:55:00.000-07:00

I have been so honoured by RoseBud Collection this morning. She awarded me with this beautiful award and I'm very touched and very grateful. Yay!!! Thank you so much. :) Rosebud has an amazing blog. Her posts are full of inspiration and kindness, I kept being drawn back to see what else she had done that day and you can be sure when you stop by, there will be something new.

And these are the rules for the nominees:

1) Add the logo of the award to your blog
2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4) Add links to those blogs on your blog
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs

My nominees are:

Amanda at Dream of Living

Mercer's Daughter

snickerdoodles (I love say that word)

Again, you've made my day! Thank you so much.

Spread the Love folks!

Peace,

Tammy

Our Neighborhood

2008-08-19T16:22:00.000-07:00

So, I've been inspired by some other blogs that tell a story about their neighborhood and since my children as so enchanted by the word 'neighborhood' and how everyone in our area is actually our 'neighbor' I thought we would go for a little bike ride and take a few snapshots of our neighborhood.

So come along if you like.. we even have an extra bike!

First of all.. we are surrounded by beautiful blueberry fields! They are so pretty this time of year dripping with yummy blue berries.

Beside the blueberries we also have..

Awesome cranberries in our neighborhood.

These won't be ripe for another few weeks yet but oh so yummy!

What do we have next? Oh yes!

We have beautiful wildflowers growing out of the ditches everywhere.

Are these little orange snapdragons does anyone know? At any rate.. they remind me of the beautiful colours of fall shyly waving from around the corner.

How did they just get so far ahead of me!!!

Oh.. I know why!!! The lure of Wild blackberry bushes lining the sides of the road!! Mmm.. nothing tastes then wild blackberries. :)

What else? The horse of course!

And more!

Now this house.. used to be a most beautiful pink with darker pink trim. Whenever I would drive by I couldn't help but smile. I wonder I do.. what made them paint it new?

I love our little home with all it's interesting and beautiful things to look at and I love seeing the areas that you love as well. :) I hope you enjoyed the little tour. :) Care for some blackberry muffins and tea with us now?

Have a beautiful day!

Spread the Love.

Peace,

Tammy

Hearts on Noses

2008-08-17T06:05:00.000-07:00

Winnie plays the piano.

For treats of course!

She knows her own self worth!
Why don't we?

We have this adorable little pig sanctuary on the outskirts of town called Hearts On Noses. The lovely owner and operator Janice takes in pigs that have been abused, abandoned, neglected and surrendered. A beautiful busy women with a heart as big as Canada! These piggies (LOVE) her! When she comes to their pens their little tails wag as quick as can be. All lined up just to hear her call their name and she does talk to each and every one of these sweet piggies.. calling each by name and complimenting them on something she sees within their dirty scrunched up faces. Their little eyes you can barely see on some of the little potbellied piggies.. like a chubby baby wrinkling their face up in a bigger then life smile.. their little eyes all squinty before a little snort of delight escapes their heart. She started the Hearts on Noses Sanctuary in 2002 when she moved into her new home and discovered little Willie abandoned and wandering alone.

I went with my children yesterday and had a wonderful time. I shed a couple of tears for these sweet animals and trust me.. they are beyond sweet! They all have such unique personality! Like Comet! An adorable pink pig (as my daughter called him.. the pink pig) that makes baby sounds on my leg! I offered him a marshmallow if he would make baby sounds on my leg and squealed with excitement and surprise when it tickled so much. Janice made it look like nothing! lol Comet bounced away, slightly startled.. glanced at his ever watchful Mom and then came in for a nose to nose touch with me.. that I missed by a hair! Next time! lol I should also mention that for a moment looking into Comet's eyes.. I could swear I was looking into a human's eyes.

And, huge Rose who seemed to clearly understand my little son's nervousness at the great beast of a piggie sniffing around him for food. Her big rowdy boyfriend was out earlier and as we were standing near Rose's pen, he came snorting around for some food and my son had alot of fear towards him.. no doubt I would too if I was that little.. but Rose knew it and she sticks up for the little guys.. taught good manners this girl. She went over for a little snort at her big boyfriend and off he trotted. I happen to know in my heart, she was telling him to buzz off you big brute.. the little ones are scared of his confident self. She came out later on and somehow my son wasn't nearly as frightened of her gentle ways.

Then Pepper.. for Peppermint Paddy but I keep thinking Penny.. like PennyLane.. and the song keeps coming into my head for this girl as well.

"Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes.

There beneath the blue suburban skies I sit,

and meanwhile back."

Pepper has a tumor growing and at this point hopefully starting to shrink upon her tummy. It hangs quite low and she's quite sweet. I poke my head inside her sleeping room and introduce myself. I tell her that I would like to offer her some good energy for her tummy to help it feel better. Pepper stands up wagging her tail and turns sideways for me, opening her heart and offering herself to my help. Again.. I know this piggie named Pepper knew what I was saying and could sense what I was doing. I fell in love with Pepper and her warm and gentle heart. May you be showered in Health and Wellness and many blessings Sweet Pepper!

This is Winnie. She's the kind of pig the doesn't need to be mauled and pet and goo-gagaed over and will give you the feeling that sais.. hey.. I'm busy here! But, her and my daughter seemed to hit it off really well. Maybe Winnie just prefers the company of children?

Janice gets no government funding and rely's soley on the help of volunteers. She's a gift and a blessing in their world and our world to have someone like her in it. Her heart is bigger then anyone's I have ever come across without a word of exaggeration! All her pigs get wonderful medical care when they need it and most of all positive energy and lots of love.

Some great pig movies!

Charlotte's Web!

"'Some pig!' muttered Lurvy in a low voice.

'Some pig!' whispered Mr. Zuckerman.

They stared and stared for a long time at Wilbur.

Then they stared at Charlotte."

-E.B. White

Charlotte's Web

Adventures of Winnie the Pooh!

"Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind.

'Pooh!' he whispered.

'Yes, Piglet?'

'Nothing,' said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw. '

I just wanted to be sure of you.'"

-A.A. Milne

Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Babe!

"This is a tale about an unprejudiced heart, and how it changed our valley forever. There was a time not so long ago when pigs were afforded no respect, except by other pigs; they lived their whole lives in a cruel and sunless world. In those days pigs believed that the sooner they grew large and fat, the sooner they'd be taken into Pig Paradise, a place so wonderful that no pig had ever thought to come back."

The movie Babe (1995)

By the way Hearts On Noses has an easy and convient way to donate through paypal on their site here Hearts On Noses.

Spread the Love folks! Thanks for stopping by.

Peace,

Tammy

Morning Light

2008-08-15T06:09:00.000-07:00

Good morning Grandfather Sun!

Burning Incense - Potential Health Hazard

2008-08-14T10:16:00.000-07:00

An interesting story that opens my eyes a little! I think I may prefer to stick with natural oils and stay with my nebulizer as much as possible. Tho, sometimes.. one really does need to burn the insense and sage. Maybe the trend I've had lately of burning the incense outside is the way to go. How about you?

To see this story with its related links on the guardian.co.uk site, go to http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/30/health

Burning joss sticks 'as deadly as traffic fumes or cigarette smoke'

Ian MacKinnon in Bangkok

Wednesday July 30 2008

guardian.co.uk

Worship is generally not a life-threatening pursuit. But devotees across Asia could be taking their life into their hands every time they go to a temple to pray, according to a study by a Thai doctor.

Burning joss sticks lit as an offering in shrines and temples fill the air with cancer-causing toxins that are every bit as deadly as traffic fumes and cigarette smoke, says Dr Manoon Leechawengwong.

Dr Manoon, who has just completed a two-year study of temple workers tasked with clearing the smouldering sticks, found the cocktail of chemicals in the smoke put them at risk of leukaemia, lung, blood and bladder cancers.

"One joss stick creates the same amount of cancer-causing chemicals at one cigarette," said Dr Manoon, who led the research. "I knew there would be some carcinogens, but I was surprised by the levels."

Joss sticks are a type of incense used in worship in many Asian countries. In Buddhism they are believed to aid spiritual communication and serve as an offering.

Dr Manoon's study was conducted among 40 workers in three temples at Ayutthaya, Chachoengsao and Samut Prakan, sites chosen deliberately far from Bangkok's traffic pollution.

The findings were compared with another 25 people living in a joss-stick free environment.

Temple workers were exposed to high levels of benzene, also known as petroleum ether, related to leukaemia; butadiene involved in blood cancer; and benzo[a]pyrene that can cause lung, bladder and skin cancers.

The level of benzene in the temple workers was four times higher than normal, butadiene was 260 times higher, and benzo[a]pyrene - the most dangerous carcinogen - 63 times greater.

Analysis of the temple workers blood and urine samples discovered damage to their DNA, with a correspondingly lower capacity of their bodies to repair that damage.

"We know from our study that there's DNA damage," said Dr Manoon. "But what we don't know is if they will develop cancer. Certainly they have a greater risk. It's like smoking. Not all smokers get cancer, it's about 20% ."

But Dr Manoon urges worshippers to reduce the risks by extinguishing the scented joss stick immediately after use, rather than leaving it standing pots of sand as it burns down.

Manufacturers could also produce sticks that burn for a minute or less.

"It's not necessary as part of the ritual for these traditional joss sticks to burn down," he said. "By putting them out after a minute or so the air pollution would be cut by 30 to 40 times."

Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited 2008
If you have any questions about this email, please contact the guardian.co.uk user help desk: userhelp@guardian.co.uk.

Spread the Love!

Peace,

Tammy

Aww.. camping!

2008-08-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

I love to camp! My husband loves to camp and so do our children. This has been a busy summer with my husband upgrading. Only about 1 more month after about 2 years of intense study and he's homefree! An Advanced Care Paramedic. He's a pretty incredible man and has been under alot of stress lately so, with a few days to really chill out.. we went to our favorite little camping space.

These are wild strawberries! Don't they look wonderful? Wild strawberries are deliriously sweet, tasty and tiny. My mom-in-law used to camp in the same area and would gather bucket loads of them also with wild blueberries. They would then make wild strawberry and wild blueberry jam. I'm not sure anything tastes as good as wild strawberry and wild blueberries!

We had a lovely nap on our favorite rocks in the shade.

We enjoyed the sight and smells of the beautiful wild flowers.

We enjoyed some great fishing.. even though we didn't catch anything and those smart lil trout only nibble the worm off the hook! :D And, then we watched the sunset before some yummy smores and a snuggle down for happy camping dreams. :)

I hope that you had a terrific week so far as well! Happy Wednesday!

Spread the Love.

Peace,

Tammy

Fingerprint Friday

2008-08-08T19:32:00.001-07:00

Steven Curtis Chapman sings:

I can see the fingerprints of God

When I look at you

I can see the fingerprints of God

And I know its true

You're a masterpiece

That all creation quietly applauds

And you're covered with the fingerprints of God

So I said today on this beautiful Fingerprint Friday, inspired by Pampering Beki, I said I would like to participate in this beautiful Fingerprint Friday but I don't know what to post. I haven't found a picture even tho I look outside and I look around and I see God's fingerprints everywhere, all the time! But, what do I post? And, I went outside and looked up at the brilliant colour in the sky and I'm sure with a smile, God sent me an Angel!

Spread the Love!

Peace,

Tammy

My Treasury

2008-08-07T08:32:00.000-07:00

I love to journal! Even more.. I love beautiful handmade, hand bound journals! So, I dedicated a treasury to a few that I adore. Laying out in the warm sunshine, watching your children play or your gardens grow. Or, sitting inside with some warm hot chocolate, curled up in your favorite chair as the snow dances gracefully to the ground.. a beautiful journal and a pretty pen can make the whole world swell again. Hope you like them as much as I. :)

Starting from the top left I see:

SproutingOxygen with her Red Floral Fabric Blank Notebook

PaperLion with her Handbound Notebook - Maps

thisisit with her Peace is Possible Ecofriendly notebook

dameling with a hardcover handbound journal - half letter size - blue with colourful pages

secretstache with a Transportation Journal A5

kreativelink with a Golden Moments, Painted journal

LunarPersuasion with a Colourful Mod Circles and Hand Drawn Flower Journal

Omaha with a Hutchinson primitive eco-journal

meowstro with a Creepy Sea Creature Mini Book with original illustration

inlerah with a Fabric covered Handbound Journal in Black and Purple Flocked Brocade

suebleiweiss with a Flower power fabric journal

kateblack SUNSHINE PLASTER . Keyhole Bound Album or Sketchbook with Hand Painted Covers.

And, there we have it!

Spread the Love!

Peace,

Tammy

The American Mink

2008-08-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

This is a short story on my experience with a sweet American Mink. At first I thought this beautiful jet black creature was a ferret.. then maybe a weasel. Mink crossed my mind for only for a moment.

The day was a crazy one from the moment I woke and suffice to say we certainly need to trust the process of life. Resistance only leads to more problems. But this day I wonder if it was resistance or a perfect part of the process with perfect timing.

I had planned to take the children to a fun sand castle building contest that was about a hour or more away. Much humming and hawing delayed our scheduled start time. They didn't know I was planning on this as I wasn't even sure myself I was going to go. I ended up going after all and must tell you that after we got in the car we said a little prayer to the highest good that we are open to the adventure that today will bring no matter what may happen. I knew something was off but couldn't quite place it. Less then halfway there my seatbelt malfunctioned. We have a strange little car where the seatbelts do up when you close the door. At this point I took it as a sure and clear sign to turn around and go home.

On our way home I saw this beautiful shiny black creature kicking at the side of the road. This was in the middle of the day already. I skidded to a stop like some stunt driver in the parking lot beside the Mink and spent about 10 minutes watching and trying to figure out what to do. A security guard came over and asked what the problem was. I showed her and then suggested she grab a couple of shovels from the back of the truck in the lot adjacent. I carefully moved this little creature off the side of the road to a cool long patch of grass. I then drove home and told my husband I needed his help. My big strong brave husband grabbed some gloves and headed to the place of interest with me. He gently gathered this beautiful, vulnerable and trusting Mink up and carefully placed her in a box in the back of our car. I should tell you that by now... after I started the car again to head home for a box and my big strong husband.. my seatbelt worked again. I don't need to say how I feel there was a higher purpose at work here.

The children and I quickly drove this little Mink to Wildlife Rescue Association where they were incredibly kind and patient and a genuine care for the animals is evident. They left me with a case number and a call back number if I wanted to check up on the animal they would happily give me a report.

Today, I called to check up on this precious animal and was informed that it was an American Mink! She was born last fall they suspect as she was not quite full grown. She had no signs of lactation so no babies! Yay to no abandoned babies! She had a head injury and they were actually quite surprised and very happy with her recovery as she was on death's door when she came in. Had she not been brought in, she wouldn't have survived. She is doing so well in fact that they have moved her to an outdoor pen where she is running around and playing and will be thinking of releasing her in a few days! I'm so happy about this I can't even express it.

After I did a search on the American Mink.. alot of reminders came up about how these poor animals are kept and slaughtered for fur coats and for mink oil. It's heart wrenching and I hate to add a downer but in seeing this sweet animal so close and being a part of rescuing it.. it's stunning in my mind how someone would kill them just to where their coats on their backs. A hefty reminder that is all. Fur-Free Campaign I took the fur free pledge. It's easy peasy.

Interesting facts about the American Mink you ask? Why sure!!

1. They are related to weasels, otters, European Mink, wolverines, and fishers.

2. Mating occurs during winter; males and females may have more than one partner. (Frisky little mates.. now I understand why my Mom's nickname from my Dad was Minkies growing up! lol)

3. Females give birth to 3 or 4 young during early spring..

4. They can be found in wooded areas and fields near streams and lakes.

5. They are excellent swimmers.

6. Mink are semi-aquatic predators able to hunt both aquatic and terrestrial prey.

7. Like their cousins, the otters, mink are very playful. They are very inquisitive, highly intelligent animals.

8. The animals were tested on their ability to remember different shapes. The order of ability of remembering these different shapes were from best to worst; mink, ferrets, skunks and cats.

9. Mink were in fact found to be more intelligent than certain groups of primates. After considerable training, mink were also found to learn after only one trial. This is a phenomenon usually only observed in higher primates.

10. Their long slim body is covered in glossy, thick dark brown fur with a white patch under the chin and slightly bushy tail. Their fur is usually used for its softness and uniqueness. Their numbers have been reduced because of this reason.

11.. Their numbers have been reduced due to loss of habitat and the effects of pollution on their aquatic food supply. They are usually solitary animals.

That's about all I got for you. :)

Spread the Love folks!

Peace,
Tammy

It is it!!!!

2008-08-05T10:45:00.000-07:00

My little girl digging for clams at the beach last week.

By the way.. I am aware that it's not Cape Breton Beach but Ingonish Beach! :D

Spread the Love!
Peace,
Tammy

Baby Bird Update

2008-08-04T09:04:00.001-07:00

Well, the sweet little baby Robin has taken flight. I didn't get to see him go but yesterday I caught a couple of cute pictures of him. I'm hoping he's taken flight. I still see Mom around and today I'm looking forward to spending some time watching her and seeing if she gives any clues as to where her baby might be. They're pretty smart but having her this close for a few days, I was sure to have noticed a few of her tricks. :)

And, yes! My camera is just fine.. thank you so much to those sending positive vibes my camera's way and for sending positive vibes the baby Robin's way.

Spread the Love!

Peace,

Tammy

Baby Robin

2008-08-02T13:31:00.000-07:00

Looking out my window, I saw the neighbors adorable puppy Lucy bouncing around, barking and pawing at something in the grass. Hmm.. another snake? A mouse? A rock most likely!

Upon closer inspection I see a wee beautiful baby Robin! Mom was doing her best to distract and dive bomb the puppy but nothing was working. I hopped over the fence and raced to this little birdie..(see me in wonderwomen gear here!). While Lucy was bouncing up on me.. (I got to big muddy paw prints smack on both melons), I'm reaching for the very determined baby bird that has an attitude of 'I can take care of myself thank you very much' as they bounce away straight into a ditch full of water! I scooped up the baby bird with it's mouth wide open in a threatening hiss .. or looking for food .. hop back over the fence firmly telling Lucy to stay put now, good girl Lucy, while Mama bird is still within feet chirping like crazy to her baby. Baby chirps back.. I put baby in our Rhodo tree.. my daughter runs to find worms from the garden. Did I tell you that by now it's pouring rain and we are soaked? My son ran inside to get the camera, just to find the batteries are dead. I managed to get a picture with my cell phone at least. Later that day, I watched Mom feed this sweet baby of hers and thankfully the determined little cutey was fine all night. We're keeping a close watch and I'll keep you updated. Robins are truly remarkable birds. Watching the Mom's bravery and courage and love for her baby is pretty special. Every time I look outside I see her sitting within eyesight. The moment her baby peeps once, Mom is there with a mouth full of food. Often it looks like blueberries and worms. Contrary to popular opinion Robin's won't ignore their young when they smell human touch on them. They know their young by sight and by sound! Other interesting facts on Robins you ask? Okay.. :D

1. The robin is one of the birds that starts the dawn chorus and one of the last to stop singing at night.

2. The robin egg is about the size of a quarter.

3. Once the eggs are laid, it takes 11 to 14 days to hatch

4. Robins live 6 to 14 years.

5. The Robin is my daughter's favorite bird.

6. The American Robin is called “Merle d’ Amerique” in French and “Mirlo Primavera” in Spanish.

7. This Robin was depicted in the 1986 $2 note of Canada.

8. Only about 25% Robins survive their first year.

9. Earthworms are a favorite food of American robins. Other soft-bodied invertebrates they eat include caterpillars, beetles and grasshoppers.

10. Fruits and berries account for 60 percent of robins’ diet.

I'd take more pictures but will all the excitement I accidentally left my camera out all night. Yes.. it was raining. Right now it's resting in a bed of rice. I heard once that if you don't touch it or rub it or anything and just put it in a bed of rice, the rice will soak up all the water and all will be good as new. Crossing my fingers!

Spread the Love!

Peace,

Tammy

Fingerprint Friday

2008-08-01T19:11:00.000-07:00

I discovered today from one of the fabulous ladies leaving a comment on my blog, another blog called PamperingBeki(http://pamperingbeki.blogspot.com/) . She talks of Fingerprint Friday and quotes a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that sings:

I can see the fingerprints of God

When I look at you

I can see the fingerprints of God

And I know its true

You're a masterpiece

That all creation quietly applauds

And you're covered with the fingerprints of God

Whether it's God or Great Spirit or Goddess to you.. to me it's got to be a higher power that brings me my most beautiful and prized gifts. I feel so deeply honoured to care for my children.. it is what I live for everyday to see them wake up in the morning. To see them smile and to get that first sleepy morning hug! This song.. these words bring tears to my eyes. I haven't heard anything so beautiful in some time. Thank you Beki for offering this opportunity to us. :)

These pictures are of a trip to the beach a few days ago. The tide was out and there were God's fingerprints EVERYWHERE with all the beautiful and colourful sealife.

Spread the Love!
Peace,
Tammy

New Listing - Finally!

2008-08-01T07:42:00.000-07:00

After much delay, I have finally added come new items to my shop! A couple of photographs with more to come. A custom listing and this set you see above!

I've been quite taken with the Hamsa Hands. Even tho there is alot of information on them out there on the world wide web I still feel like they are quite a mystery. I know they are a part of many old cultures but I can't seem to get feeling that The Eye of Horas from Egypt and the Hamsa Healing Hands are somehow connected. I may very well be completely off base here. As a Reiki practitioner I also feel the significance of Universal Life Force Energy within them.

In Arabic the word Hamsa means five, referring to the five fingers on the hand.

You will see some with a eye in the center. This eye is intended to look back at evil eyes and provide protection from jealousy and envy. In India the eye is more important then the hands themselves and is considered the Compassionate Eye or the Eye of God.

You will also often see it as the spiral (as above!). The Sacred Spiral has been around for many many ancient years.

Symbolism of the SPIRAL: Linked to the circle. Ancient symbol of the goddess, the womb, fertility, feminine serpent force, continual change, and the evolution of the universe.

When the Spiral is drawn clockwise, it's said to bring things towards you, and when drawn anti-clockwise, it pushes negative energies away from you. The Spirals with my Hands will go either/both ways. Wearing the pendant one way will draw the Spiral clockwise while wearing the pendant the other way will draw the Spiral counter-clockwise!

Well, that's about it for now.

Spread the Love folks!

Peace,

Tammy

The Beautiful Mandala

2008-07-31T09:45:00.000-07:00

A remarkable Goddess that I am honoured to know, showed off her very first Mandala. I became so inspired by her sweet childlike enthusiasm and excitement I had to take a perfect opportunity to work with the children visiting and hanging around the house. Nothing more exciting then a messy project on a rainy cool day.

So out comes the paints and markers and glitter oh my! We sketched out our designs and I danced with my little Tibetan singing bowl around each of them. I LOVE how perfectly peaceful children are with this sort of thing.. instinctively closing their eyes for a moment and allowing the vibration to soften their auras and ease their concerns over what was right about the project and what was wrong! There are NO MISTAKES is the only rule I was sure to remind them. You must NOT doubt the song in your heart!

So over the course of a couple of days, these are the master Mandalas co-created by 6, 7, 8 and 9 year old children, with and in their open hearts. There were Hearts, Stars of Davids, Spiders, Starbursts and Psychic Eyes. Suns and Pyramids and Twinkling Planets. I think they are all truly beautiful and they are all very proud of their work. One mentioned it was exactly what was seen when they closed their eyes.. another said it turned out more beautiful then they even thought it could! One didn't even really want to start it to begin with but ended up asking to be included after all and they themselves enjoying it immensely! And, one of the children said she wasn't really sure what she was doing but is really pleased with how it turned out! One of the little girls, who comes to play almost daily, smiled at me knowingly and said.. "I 'knew' this was a magical house. Even before I knew who lived in it.. I knew I was going to come and meet them." (You can guess how this just melted my heart to a puddle on the floor). Children are so intuitive and open. They are so filled with excitement and Joy. The know secrets about life that we adults tend to forget. And to take a moment and put everything aside and just sit and listen and play with them.. we learn so much and we remember so much.

I can't wait for what's next! :D

Spread the Love folks.

Peace,

Tammy

My Clean Spice Cupboard

2008-07-30T11:38:00.000-07:00

Before

After

Looks much better I think.

Smudge Bundles

2008-07-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

Good Beautiful Day all. :)

Do you ever find that you have days where in all of your being and with all of your might.. you have every intension on getting down and dirty, knee deep and wonderfully grungy going through cupboards and closets and purging to your hearts content..... when all of a sudden inspiration hits the moment you find an old lost something or another and suddenly somehow you are immersed in several hours of creative bliss?

This somehow happens to me on a regular basis. Often, the same thing happens to my children when it happens to me and I tend to think the Universe (or maybe God or other beautiful names to you) is smiling down on us as we get our priorities straight.

This is what happened in my bedroom the other day. Old sell phones found their way into our childrens hands and they snaped and recorded inside and out until their hearts content and I found some lovely Sage that I had gathered and dried over the last several years.

I don't have pictures that my children took tho I can assure you they were all lovely!

But, here are a couple of bundles that I managed to create.

Each came together with a specific purpose and gift. The first that I co-created was with a beautiful Tabby Quartz Crystal from Mt. Ida Arkansas (some of my all time very favorite crystals come from this location.. they feel so incredibly deeply connected to the Angelic Realm I am always feeling the presence of Angels around me when I work with these incredible Spirits) The Sage, Lavender and the Cedar were all gathered with much respect and love by myself. The thread used is Red for our deep connection to the Earth and our acceptance of her Love and Healing. Black for Protection honouring our sacred spaces and White for the connection to our Ancestors, Angels and surrounding everything with the Blessed White Light.

The second bundle came together with a volunteer Zimbabwean Kyanite. Amoung other things, from what I understand, Zimbabwean Kyanite offers us the chance to dance with the mysteries of the Prayer Feather. These crystals offer us the opportunity to send our prayers to the heavens.. on the wings of Angels. A very beautiful stone if any of you ever have the chance to work with these Spirits I highly recommend it! This bundle also came together with a beautiful White Feather that blessed my path at some point and Lavender, Sage and Cedar. Wound together with Light Lavender thread, reminding us of our constant Loving connection to Spirit, Green for the beautiful Healing energy of the Heart and White.

I really enjoyed putting these together and look forward to doing more. Many ideas dancing around in my heart now! :D

So, that's about it. :)

Spread the Love folks.

Peace,

Tammy

Beach Treasure

2008-07-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

Beautiful beach stones in Tsawwassen, British Columbia. Lovely.

Reiki in the Garden

2008-07-17T07:09:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday at a beautiful home and metaphysical store called Ancestral Crystals I was honoured to be a part of several other women offering their talents and gifts to helping others. I was so excited to be a part of this amazing team of ladies and can not express my thanks enough to Tina for opening the door to be a part of it.

It was a truly magical experience and reaffirmed to me that this is my true calling. The set up that Tina has in her home mirrors very closely the visions that I have been having myself. It's very exciting to see your vision realized in some ways .. to know that it is possible!

The energy was clear and powerful, full of inspiration and messages. We worked steady for about 5 or 6 hours and I felt like I still had a couple of hours in me at least. The time felt more like 1 or 2 hours in complete honestly it travelled so quickly. The paradox is that while it went by so very quickly.. with each Reiki session.. it also felt like time stopped for a moment. I think this is called Timelessness.

Of course I couldn't leave without adopting at least one beautiful Stone Elder! This lovely Howlite Goddess called my name and stuck with me. :)

It was labeled something other then Howlite but I'm sure without a doubt that it is. In the book 'The Crystal Bible' which I don't own and don't feel any immediate desire to own I must say there is a scientific error. Under Howlite there is a picture of a pretty green stone. I'm not sure what this Green Stone is but with all certainty and being sure to double checks my facts with people that do know for all certainty.. that is not Howlite in the photo. This disappoints me.. in some ways I feel concerned that this extremely popular book was put together quickly.. without many of the facts being accurate. I respect, however if this book resonates with you! :)

I had a mini Aura-Soma reading done while there as well. I can tell you it stirred up alot of emotion for me about letting go, releasing and standing in my Light. She tapped into some very deep places and I believe she tapped into some Ancestral pain as well. As hard as we try not to.. we all pass down to our own children which has not been healed within ourselves. I have been sitting with this little reading for a while.. at first trying to dismiss it as wrong but knowing deep inside she offered me a gift in which is it my choice to accept and move forward or to reject and say put right where I am. It wasn't anything new that she told me.. I just didn't realize how important it is for me to act on it with a little more fire then I am/was. She also offered the possibility to me for taking the Aurajin class that is offered and that too is something I can see for my future. While she may never see this post.. I thank you Susan from the bottom of my heart. I accept your gift. :)

Aura Soma with my understanding is that we choose from 105 coloured bottles, using our left hands (intuitive brain) and these bottles help us to understand conscious, unconscious, subconscious message from our Higher Selves. Here is a link that may help you understand more if it's something you feel pulled towards. http://www.aura-soma.net/index.asp?Q=peace_to_all_beings_may_they_be_well_and_happy_and_free_from_fear_peace_to_all_beings_may_they_be_well_and_happy_and_free_from_fear&BT=1&PT=1&BG=1&PID=2&SID=1&ST=&LID=1

That's all from me for now. :)

Spread the Love!

Peace,
Tammy

Pebbles

2008-07-06T15:58:00.000-07:00

Just Love

The cool water brushing by my feet, the dancing swell washing away my doubts.

In the river, this tiny pebble spoke.

He said to walk softly and feel deeply.

He said to smile often and laugh with abandon.

He said to Just Love all existence, for just the way it is right now in this very moment, this is perfect.

In listening to this ancient wisdom, great Joy fills my Heart.

And, I walk through life filled with Peace and Contentment, ever grateful.

Just Love.

Sloppy Kisser

2008-07-05T19:17:00.000-07:00

A sloppy kisser to say the least.

A friends dog came for an unscheduled visit today. Bad Destiny! lol

Dolphin Dreaming

2008-06-29T21:10:00.000-07:00

More art done by my daughter. Mixed media.. Dolphin Dreaming.

The Rainbow Tree

2008-06-29T21:06:00.000-07:00

Some art done by my little girl called the Rainbow Tree.

White Ravens

2008-06-25T15:53:00.000-07:00

This is really cool these are beautiful White Ravens! Something very special about these amazing birds.

Not my story.. the link for it is here. :)

http://www.visitparksvillequalicumbeach.com/cms.asp?wpID=333&blgID=62&Display=item&blgmediatypID=1&msgpolldone=results&pollID=19

Two white ravens hatched this year near Qualicum Beach's Ravensong Aquatic Center and are a startling and delightful sight in the dark green woods.

Ravens are fun to watch, with their playful and intelligent antics and big vocabulary. They out perform the Snowbirds with their courtship acrobatic flights doing barrel rolls and half rolls etc.

They perform as well as monkeys on some intelligence tests and can count to seven. I've watched ravens slide down the snow on their bellies and pull the tails of eagles and wolves. The latter is part game and part food stealing trick. When the bigger animal or bird whirls around the other ravens dart in and grab food. They've also done this to my dog. One raven I was well aquainted with took someone's car keys from the beach and flew over a lake just to see people get excited and jump up and down. Then he returned to the same spot and returned the keys.

There are some legends about the white raven from Haida story tellers. In one, all ravens were white until one stole the sun, moon, stars, water and fire and released them on the earth. In the process his feathers got sooty and singed and have stayed that way.

Here are a couple of the legends:http://www.civilization.ca/aborig/reid/reid14e.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raven_(mythology)

Patrick Walshe is the owner/operator of Coastal Revelations Nature & Heritage Tours
Photos courtesy Mike Yip - VancouverIslandBirds.com

Some video!

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/index.php?cl=8324965

Cool stuff! :D We might have to take a trip out that way and see if we can see these lovely birds ourselves! :D

Peace!
Tammy

What did you do today that reminded you of your Divinity?

2008-06-24T19:25:00.000-07:00

The Summer Day Who made the world?

Who made the swan, and the black bear? Who made the grasshopper? This grasshopper, I mean--the one who has flung herself out of the grass, the one who is eating sugar out of my hand, who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down, who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes. Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face. Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.

I don't know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention, how to fall downinto the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day. Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

~ Mary Oliver ~

Spread the Love folks! :D

Peace,

Tammy

My Little Flower

2008-06-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

My beautiful girl always stopping to smell all the flowers.

A Beautiful Day

2008-06-17T12:46:00.000-07:00

We went on vacation for a few days over Father's Day. We accomplished alot in a short amount of time! I thought that this heart shaped cloud was a sign of the fun times again. :)

A beautiful thing happened over the weekend while on vacation. I was visiting an amazing Lavender Farm with a very dear friend who I am so happy to have spent time with.

This is my dear friend in her element. (Notice no digital camera here.. nope.. you know those die hard artist types.. yep.. ;D --->

While calling/chasing/teaching/playing with our little ones around the lavender passed a lovely group of women relaxing in the sun at the farm. Just enjoying the moment and sites and smells.. and their own company. A lovely smile from them all, a light joke and a wave and on we go not thinking anymore of it.

While packing our little ones in all set to head off for our picnic, I noticed a beautiful bright colourful belt on one of the ladies heading to her car and mentioned that I liked their belt. She promptly came to the other side of our vehicle.. called my name (we can't quite figure out how she knew it).. and took off her belt and offered it to me! I was a little stunned! And, more then a little humbled and grateful! She was sure she wanted me to have it and said her name was Cecelia and she is from Mexico as the belt is as well. I quickly felt the call to gift her back with something of meaning myself and offered her an anklet I had made. I noticed that she was as touched as I and it was quite a special moment to share linked in this way with a complete stranger from another part of the world so different from our own little space in life. An odd feeling that I have trouble describing. A reminder of how we are all connected. As different as we all are, we are also all deeply connected. We are all one experiencing this life together. Sharing, caring, loving.

This belt and this beautiful ladies kindness and generosity is something that I will forever hold dear to me. It's not just a belt.. it's a symbol of the light and the good in this world.

It's a symbol of Inner Peace. World Peace. Unity. Love.

I came home feeling refreshed, recharged, optimistic and with a deep knowing that there are wonderful and truly caring people in this world. I deep knowing this is world is a lovely place to be a part of. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be here. To live and to learn and to laugh together. You might say.. my Root Chakra got a tune up. ;)

Spread the Love folks!

Peace,

Tammy

My Mom!

2008-06-05T09:52:00.001-07:00

I must confess that I am not the worlds most picky house cleaner. I love a clean house but I tend to be a little lax in this department. I'm not really sure what it is but I know I could do better.
I grew up in a home where everything was always spotless! As a mom myself, I'm not sure I know even now how she did it. There were some mornings that I would wake for school and the smell of fresh oven baked bread would greet me and my tummy would rumble for the taste of melted peanut butter on my warm white bread. At the same time, the bathroom would be scrubbed fresh and clean and the dishes were nowhere to be seen. My Mom was also the kind of person that thought a dishwasher was a waste of time.
My Mom loved to clean! There were days that I would be coming home from school and I would hear the music from 4 houses down blasting Proud Mary or ABBA or Pink Floyd from the stereo and I would sit and tell her all about my day with who said what to who and just what I thought about the darned situation! She would cook dinner as I talked and I would often wash up the pots and pans while she pulled the roast and Yorkshire pudding out of the oven right on time for Dad to come home and mention how great the house looked and how awesome it was to come home to a warm dinner. There was one day I remember when he came home and that day Mom had 'only' cooked hotdogs. Probably had a migraine that day but even those didn't stop her completely! When my Mom cooked hotdogs however she didn't miss a beat. The table was chalk full of a smorgasbord of every fixin you could ask for! My Dad must have had a bad day at work because I remember him grumbling about it.. LOL I also remember thinking what on earth was he grumbling about because my eyes were as bigs as saucers thinking just how amazing my Mom was! Now I know he was just plain spoiled rotten! lol
My Mom's way of bonding with me is waking me up at 7am on a Saturday morning to clean. Blasting music and bucket and cloth and away we went.. walls, baseboards, molding.. underneath the taps must not be forgotten because those little elves that sneak in at night to p a r t y can see under there you know! lol Okay.. away she went while I just made faces and whined about what a tough life I had. lol
I'm crazy about my Mom. She is my inspiration and one of the greatest teachers I could ever have in this life. I'm sure she's an Angel. I'm sure of it. If any of you have read Doreen Virtues Earth Angel book... you have my Mom described to a tea. She'll skip right over this part too if she reads this blog because I'll be getting too 'deep' for her. ;) lol But, if she does she'll miss me saying I Love You Mom.
See more of my beautiful Mom if you like! :D http://www.tagged.com/sassy2008
This is all for now.
Spread the Love folks.
Peace!Tammy

2008-06-04T14:35:00.000-07:00

I'm in a new treasury! Etsy has a Peace Prayer Team. Each time a prayer is purchased we all stop what we are doing for a moment and pray for World Peace!

Thank you Connie from http://colorwoman.etsy.com!

Spread the Love!

Peace!

And the Winner Is!

2008-06-03T18:55:00.000-07:00

LADY V!!!

Yay! Congratulations Lady V! You win!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered. This was alot of fun and I look forward to doing another. :)

Peace!

Our friendly Deer

2008-06-01T12:57:00.001-07:00

We have a friendly deer that has been coming for a visit over the last 2 years! When we first saw her, she still had her fading baby spots on her. She stops by and sniffs around, peeks in our windows and studies the deck. She nibbles on the blueberries in the back and seems to really enjoy the raspberries leaves. Last year Toe Matar and her met each other for the first time and this morning both of our kitties were out for a sniff in the yard when she stopped in for another visit. At this point she has become so comfortable with us that I am able to get quite close with the camera. There are days when my husband and I are in stitches laughing so hard as she gets pretty happy and will bound full speed through our yard, to our neighbors yard, back to the forest and around the circle again.. she will sometimes do this for a good half hour at a time!

These pictures were taken with only a tiny bit of zoom at times and other times no zoom at all. She's quite special to us and we're pretty grateful we are able to share our space with hers.

Please, can't we play??

This is another beautiful Tiger Moth that my daughter found. :) She was quite excited as it was the second one she found yesterday and said this one.. who is named "Martha" the moth told her.. this one is her first ever real insect friend.

Canada Geese!

2008-05-31T19:03:00.000-07:00

This sweet photo was taken by my husband today at Rocky Point Park in Port Moody, BC! So many adorable babies running around.. these were the youngest in the group. :) So trusting and relaxed with Mommy's and Daddy's and Auntie's and Uncles all near by keeping a close watch on all the bird lovers. It was a true gift to be able to get this close to these relaxed birds.

It also happened to be our anniversary today and we had a wonderful day reflecting on the last 5 years and all the good and the blessings that have been bestowed upon us.

Peace and great Joy to you all!

Tammy

P.S. We have this lovely photo for sale in our etsy home.. http://rainbowmom.etsy.com

Live Eagle Cam with babies

2008-05-21T06:18:00.001-07:00

A little bit of goodness here! A live Eagle Cam located in Delta, BC Canada. Pretty special.. but be warned.. you may become addicted. lol I know it is always up on a screen here. lol

http://wavelit.com/index.php?view=EaglesNestLive

Spread the Love!
Tammy

My First Givaway!

2008-05-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

Hello!

This is my first ever giveaway. I have had so much fun looking at others giveaways and having won a little something something myself.. (I will post more on this at a later date as I don't want to spoil a surprise!) I decided to get in on the action!! :)

So what I am giving away is an 8x10 of this print..

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11721122

All you have to do is leave a comment and tell me the first word you think of when you look at this photo! I will gather all of the names and announce the winner on June 3, 2008!! :)

Good luck to you all and be sure to leave a way for me to reach you in your comment!

Spread the Love!

Peace,

Tammy

Mmmm, my heart says.....

2008-05-16T17:09:00.000-07:00

2008-05-15T13:25:00.000-07:00

The amazing thing about dandelions is that even after they've been plucked and displayed as a beautiful and heartfelt bouquets, they still complete their purpose in life and turn to seed to help spread their beauty for more children to squeal in delight at summers offerings!

Stay Tuned

2008-05-13T07:08:00.000-07:00

Sometime this week I have a giveaway happening! :D :D

It's my first ever! And, we are very excited!

2008-05-12T13:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Mothers Day

2008-05-12T10:54:00.000-07:00

Well.. it's the day after Mothers Day but I hope that you all celebrated the Mothers of the world in your own perfect way. :)

My little ones made cute hats on Mothers Day! :)

Spread the love!

Tammy

I'm in a treasury!

2008-05-05T07:08:00.000-07:00

Kanani2008 added my Spirit Feather to her treasury called Then They Had Wings!

She has a very lovely shop http://kanani2008.etsy.com/ chalk full of delicious organic soaps. I particularily like her Ka Nani Signature Kidz Natural Bath Time Paints.

Thank you Kanani!! :)

Peace!
Tammy