Full Moon

I went outside tonight and looked up into the sky and noticed it was a full moon. I immediately wished that I was at home so I would be able to make a prosperity box, then I decided that I could do the writing right now, at work.

SO first I would like to make a list of gratitude.

1. Grateful for my new found health, my new way of looking at food and the positive changes I am noticing in my body.

2. I am grateful for my two children who indirectly push me to be the best I can.

3. I am grateful for my job which provides my family with everything that we need.

4. I am grateful for my happiness, and that I do not suffer.

5. I am grateful for my friends, who are always supportive, encouraging and love me unconditionally.

6. I am grateful that I have finally learned the lesson about honouring myself.

7. I am grateful that I met a man that has altered my view, "that all men are dogs" and treats me with respect.






Here is my list of my new wants and needs and I am praying for GOD to take a look at it and see which ones are coming to me next:

1. Continued good health, positive attitude and happiness.

2. To continue to do well at work.

3. to take kids on a fun vacation to a destination that we have never travelled to before.

4. To have continual growth in finances, and to be able to keep work in balance.

5. To give me strength over cigarettes.

6. To continue to grow and learn in this new relationship I have entered.

7. To keep kids and friends happy, safe and healthy.

8. For the TTC to give me approval to go to Belize and volunteer at the Holy Cross School.

I sure love the prosperity box. Writing all this down and posting it is also sending a strong vibrational message. Now to bed, to rest under the light of the moon.

A big hello to those Canadians that are reading my blog in Etobicoke, Toronto, North York, Vancouver, Oshawa, Brandon, Richmond Hill, Brampton, Airdrie, Edmonton, Squamish, Vaughan, Alliston, Newmarket, North Battleford, thanks for taking the time to read !

What I Learned Today

As readers of my blog already know I have started a new veginning, I mean beginning. It has been 6 weeks since I became Vegan, and I went to the doctor today and I am down another 4 pounds When I began this journey I was doing it purely for health reasons, but have been educating myself about the other reasons to become Vegan. Today I learned about some of the reasons to be a VEGAN.

1. For every person who switches to a vegan diet, 1 acre of trees are spared every year.

2. Run off from animal waste is linked to 7000 square mile "deadzone" in the Gulf of Mexico that no longer can support aquatic life.

3. The average American eats 2600 animals in their lifetime ( I have`likely ate that already)

4. Food animals are not protected bu the Animal Welfare Act therefore cruelty is unchecked.

5. Animals are often skinned, boiled and butchered alive.

6. Sick and crippled animals are not protected from cruelty and are bulldozed and dragged by chains and left to starve or freeze to death

When I think of all that it kind of makes me sick, makes filetmignon and veal much less desirable. I am truly learning to like this health living much more everyday.

Yesterday I made a new recipe which was red lentil and sweet potatoe soup with curry and coconut milk. It was delicious. Even the kids liked it.

I am not really too pre-occupied with my weight anymore. It is going down regularly and I feel like am feeding my body good fuel, and that is all that matters really.

Well off to pt the rice in the new rice maker I bought and if any of you have any good recipes for a vegan diet, I am always looking for them.

A day with Uncle Don

Yesterday I went to Perth, Ontario to take a drive to see my Uncle Don. He has been diagnosed with Cancer and asked if I would come for a visit before he leaves this earth.

I was dreading the drive there, which is 250 miles each way. My daughter and friend Martina offered to come along for the journey. That made the trip much more enjoyable, and I was able to stay awake.







Surprisingly I had a great time. Uncle Don has a twisted sense of humor and kept us amused with his stories of chasing after young girls. He told me funny family stories of people that have passed on. The funniest one was about my father and his friend George Schluman, who hitchhiked from Toronto to California without a penny in their pockets. Another funny story was my father's advice to "spend all your money, because I am going to be a millionaire."

It appears that my father has the same care-free adventurous spirit that I have and that the apple really does not fall far from the tree.

I knew we made Uncle Don very happy with out visit. He was smiling and laughing, and death seemed years away.




When we left, we decided to go downtown and see what this town had to offer. It is gorgeous. It looks like a little English Hamlet with it's canals and pubs lining the main street.



The long dreaded drive was really beautiful and enjoyable. It made me appreciate the truly beautiful country I live in, the friends and family I have and recognize how grateful I am to be alive.

Everything is Managable

Yesterday was a hard day for me. I have to be honest and get right to the juice. The man I thought was for me was not for me. I kind of knew it all along, but I was NOT trusting my intuition, which is really The Universe's way of saying ........ LISTEN TO ME. We tend to second guess that voice, but sometimes LOVE STINKS, as the song goes. The good news is that by NOT lowering my standards, I am surely attracting into my life a better partner, and not settling for something I don't really want to begin with. It is a hard lesson, but one well worth mastering.

The good news was that during my heartache there were people there to make me laugh. I talked on the phone with someone who cheered me up, and then late at night a friend of mine Emmanuel, from Black to Eden, came by my work and sat with me for a good hour or so, and told me the funniest stories tha made me laugh til I nearly cried.



LAUGHTER IS CERTAINLY THE BEST MEDICINE. Whether it is for, physical ailments, or heartache, good friends and laughter help alot.



The other great thing is that I went to the Doctor again, I am down another 4 pounds in last 11 days.

I have lost nearly 34 pounds since I changed diet. My pants are falling off, and OH BOY is that a good thing!





And one last thing....... I submitted my requested for leave of absense in 2009 and 2010 to the TTC to volunteer at Holy Cross School. I am planning on spending Christmas 2009 there with both my children, and then my eldest will return home and my youngest will stay on with me and hopefully be able to attend the school, and send her work back to Canada.





I am excited, making changes in another part of the world, and paying my rent in deeds by being here. I went to Habitat for Humanity and dropped off my resume, I would like to do some volunteer work with them, and maybe one day move onto Habitat for Humanity International.

100 ways to regain peace

A whole week has passed and I am back to work, busy developing a MYspace page and reading another book , "Inner simplicity - 100 ways to nourish your soul" by Elaine St. James

Some suggestions that I have noted and need to improve on are:

Simplify your life: reduce workload and social obligations
Connct with the sun: amen for that. I took the air-conditioner out of my window and took the wood that was boarding it up out. It felt good to have a room full of light again

Figure out what you need to do to get well

Latch onto synchronicity: reduce pace and look within

Take time to read

Sleep alot: Relish it, luxuriate in it. Grow in it. You need it.

Ask for help from the universe

Today I will really take those to heart. I will reduce my list of things to do, and do what needs to be done only.

Thinking on the Beach

How Life Changes

When we got to the cottage today, we could not find the key, and so we had to make do until we could get in touch with the owners. We were in no rush so Erin and I decided to go down to the lake.

We had a bottle of wine but no glasses, no problem, just take the whole bottle. As we were sitting on the beach enjoying life, my oldest daughter comes running down, to the lake and says that she has to go to the bathroom. We are in the middle of nature for goodness sakes, find a tree and go. At least we have toilet paper and garbage bags. I had spoken the unthinkable to her. These kids today are so spoiled. In an era of fast pace, technology and everything received on Demand they expect you to drop life, get in the car, and drive them to the nearest Tim Horton’s where they can not only use a luxurious toilet, but they can grab an iced cappuccino while they are at it.

When I was a kid, I was lucky if I got a drive to the town store once a week to get candy.

It happened again yesterday, I was walking by a toy store and the kids asked if they could go in. The found some puppets “marionettes” and asked me how to work it. I showed how the legs and arms moved. They were really fascinated by that. That is what I used to get for Christmas. Now it is a world of Laptops, Playstations , Mp3 players, and cell phones. It really is bizarre that the technology of computer does not faze a child, but a marionette does.

Life has changed so much in just 40 years. We were lucky to get 2 stations at the cottage, and that is IF the cottage even had a Television, and if it did you could be sure that it was black and white and had lines or was all fuzzy and you could not see properly.. Now here I am typing blogs on my laptop.

I often wonder what the next 40 years have in store. Can technology continue to advance at this pace? I don’t think so. What new inventions does the next 40 years have in store? Maybe we will be living like the Jetsons, flying over to our neighbours on some kind of propelled jet. All I know is that we sure have moved light-years away from the stone age of the Flintstones.

No One Cares What You Had for Lunch

I went to the library yesterday and got a new book on blogging.. Great title, “No one cares what you had for lunch 100 Ideas for your blog” written by Margaret Mason, of Mighty Goods www.mightygoods.com



Since I will take her advice I am not about to tell you what I had for lunch, but as any reader of my blog knows, it was void of any meat, dairy or caffine. We are at the cottage though, and so it is not void of any alcohol.

It is nice here, by Lake Erie. WE have our own little cottage, with a nice lake and right now I can hear wind through the trees. I thought of what a waste of money it is to go south during the summer. Yes, Canada is my home, and during the summer this is where I should stay.

The kids are at the lake in the rubber boat, and have promised me not to swim past their noses. The two older girls have gone for a walk to the store to get us marshmallows for tonight’s bonfire. Erin is having a little snooze on the futon. And I am here getting my list of things accomplished that need to be taken care of.

Last night I decided to clean out my closet and get rid of clothes that are too big, or that I would never be caught dead in. I was supposed to bring my digital camera and learn how to use it properly, but note to self is:

The first step to learning to use a digital camera is NOT to forget it at home on the kitchen counter, however I have a camera phone so will use some photos from that. I am so glad that I am not in school for a while. I need a mental break, and I like to read and have missed out on it tremendously.

Now I will head to the patio to overlook the lake, listen to the birds chirp and get in some of that reading that I have been missing for so long…….. until later.

JO