A new take on self-sufficiency

On this day I want to talk about self-sufficiency - something which has such a strong mainstream meaning (I think) and conjures images of kitchen benches laden with homegrown produce and busy farmlets or backyards full of animals, fruit trees and vegetable gardens.

This has been my basic concept of self-sufficiency for many years, and one that I still aspire to, however a couple of days ago I was flipping through a magazine at my part-time job and read a sentence which was along the lines of 'what is sufficient for me?' and really did one of those double-takes you see in cheesy movies. It completely opened up a whole new meaning for me - does it do that for you too?

Here's my take on sufficiency, based on some serious heartstorming and discussion with my bakery co-workers after reading said quote:

Are we truly self-sufficient, no matter what we've put in place in our lives, if we're wanting more than we authentically need?

You see, the way I understand this, sufficiency is not about thinking small, playing conservative or keeping yourself in the same place in order to 'save yourself for something better'. These actions serve only your ego, and as such do not provide enough for your whole being - they are not sufficient.

When you aim as high as you can imagine there's no room for ego - its only you - your heart and soul. When you play small, its your ego that speaks up, telling you you're not enough.

Sufficiency is about clarifying and honing down on those things that are most important - your soul's callings, your purpose in this life, your highest passions.

These are the structures within which all other decisions can be made. Taking action upon these needs leads to a life of self-sufficiency - nothing more, nothing less. And in this way sufficiency can feel both big and small. But its authentically yours - your voice, your angle, your experiences, your dreams, your successes.

And that's all we can be right? Authentically ourselves creating our own self-sufficiency.

Wishing you a beautiful day filled with opportunities to feel that this life is sufficient for you.

Homegrown Rhubarb Crumble

A Winter delight that brings warmth and colour to my home and nurtures my family.

Thanks to my popular IG photo of rhubarb in the garden, here's a recipe with old-fashioned flair and lots of love:

You'll need about 1kg of rhubarb from your garden. Trim the leaves and keep the rich red stems.

Base:

1 kg rhubarb stems cut straight from the garden

2 apples, peeled and sliced with love

1/4 cup of water

A good handful of soft brown sugar

Wash and slice rhubarb, marvel at this luscious growth that's taken place just outside your door. Place in a saucepan with the water and apple slices, then let the soft, browny sugar crystals gently slip from your hands on to the top.

Place the lid on and gently simmer until soft, pungent and a soft pinky-red colour (like a beautiful sunset).

Crumble:

1 cup self-raising flour

150g cold butter (the real, full-fat stuff)

1/2 cup more soft brown sugar (oh, you luscious delight!)

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Place all ingredients into your favourite special bowl and massage that butter baby! Right into the silky dryness of that flour until it's just right and crumbly.

Now don't skimp here! The beauty of slowly bringing this dish into being is such a blessing.

Be mindful. Cook with intention and love. Nurture the sh*t out of it so it brings light and joy to your home tonight.

Sprinkle generously over your rhubarb base and bake for about 25 mins in an oven set to 180*C

Viola! An amazing, old-fashioned, seasonal delight created with love and intention. 

It's something that keeps life simpler, more on purpose and in our house this evening it's hitting the mark perfectly. Xx

Tucking my vegetables into their Winter bed

My garden hasn't had much attention of late, with our recent trip around Australia.

And at this time of year, with frost fairies hard at work and short amounts of sunshine, the best thing I can do for my garden is give it a bit of a weed and a lovely warm covering of mulch.

I picked many handfuls of rocket and made the most delicious pesto.

I loaded up our car with big bales of pea straw.

And I tucked the existing carrots, kale, parsley and the rest of the rocket into their beds for the rest of this cold time of year - ready for Spring planting when the time comes.

I love that my little garden babies have their roots kept warm and snug, but this Winter garden task has a greater purpose also.

I'm a big fan of permaculture as both an ideal and a common sense practice. Permaculture teaches us that everything is connected and to work smarter and with heart, rather than harder. A good philosophy for life is it not?

By mulching my beds at this time of year I'm providing a layer which will prevent the majority of Spring weeds coming through - a time saving measure. And I'm giving my soil protection from our frosts, and since I used pea straw - more nitrogen when it breaks down.

In short, I'm building productive energy in my soil (and in my soul too), ready to be released once the turning point comes and growth takes off.

One of my favourite books, Permaculture: Principles and Pathways beyond Sustainability is sitting on my kitchen table at the moment. A quick look reminds me that this mulching I'm doing is part of principle number two - 'catch and store energy' - a wise move to be making in this Winter lull.

Have you mulched your Winter beds? Are they ready for that turning point in Spring? How does your garden (and heart) grow at this time of year?

Are you hooked on stereotypes?

I do this a lot - so subliminally I barely recognise it sometimes...

I make assumptions about what I can and can't do based on stereotypical images in my head.

I'm no expert here, but I think we all do this right? 

Our ego loves a definite proposition and stereotypes and pigeonholing can be very appealing, even necessary sometimes.

Except when it stops us from moving forward.

We hold our stereotypes up to the light, mount them on a pedestal and bow down to their stories of suffering and mishap. 

It's amazing how a good story can have a greater allure than following your heart even when that story is holding you back.

My regulars at the moment are romantic images of total self-sufficiency in the 70s (a la 'The Good Life') and the stereotype of the warm motherly figure baking bread and homeschooling her children 24/7. Lovely stories and images that feed my ego but I somehow always fall short of.

How do I know these are constructs of my ego and not my soul gold?

Firstly, they're extreme. I hear myself saying things like 'I'm doing x so I should be doing y aswell' or 'I can't have that AND that - they don't go together'. 

I also know because, when I slow down enough, I can feel myself pulled off centre. Trying to be something other than myself.

And that's not cool.

So what do I do?

Firstly, I gently remind myself that I don't need to throw the baby out with the bath water (a favourite saying in my family). In other words, there's still merit in the images in my head, they just need some adjusting.

Then, when all is calm again, I (gently) visualise myself unhooking the parts of said stereotype. I take my image of total self-sufficiency (for example) and see that it's made up of lots of actionable parts and I imagine unhooking them from one another, so that I may more easily choose the parts that feel right for me, and be okay with letting the other parts go.

Then I feel ease return, and I can step forward once again with a real picture of myself.

Which stereotypes/images in the media/identities are you commonly drawn to? Are you hooked up with them?

12 souls who inspire me online

Image via Lori Portka

 

 

I have some regular inspiration that I turn to, and I thought I'd share. 'Cause sharing is caring and these souls are amazing - they rock my world regularly, shift the way I see things and help me live with passion and purpose.

1. Tara Bliss at Such Different Skies - an amazing lady I have so much love for. She's been my mentor for a while now and her website is my first port of call when I need pulling out of a hole.

2. Sarah Wilson - A Sweeter Life - the creator and author of the I Quit Sugar program and books, but more importantly I think, a thought leader. I love this way this lady thinks outside the square and discusses stuff we're all thinking about, but not talking about.

3. Claire Baker at This is Lifeblood - a beautiful soul expressing radiance, nurturing her readers and giving me the impetus to love myself more through food. I definitely have more to learn from this lady.

4. The Universe - sign up for these notes to your inbox lovelies and you'll be blown away with his wisdom. These notes often cause me to gasp with surprise, insight and amazement.

5. Danielle LaPorte - perhaps an obvious one for a list such as this, but I truly admire this lady's heart and soul. She gets to the deeper parts of me and pulls them out to the light, and I love her for that.

6. Amy Taylor-Kabbaz at Seek Act Love - another Mama out there helping the world. Her Happy Mama cards sit on my kitchen windowsill and inspire me everyday.

7. Soulemama - how can you not love this Mama and her homestead? Her images, words and home never fail to inspire me to live a life of gratitude, simplicity and homemade joy. Many a time after reading her blog I've turned straight to my knitting and got on with it.

8. Wellness Mama - a smart lady with some very sensible health habits she happily and informatively shares with the world. I love the organic simplicity of her approach to caring for herself and her family.

9. Leonie Dawson - a loving soul out there giving everything she has to the world with joy and love. I have her annual life planner and love her approach to planning with the universe with soul.

10. Jess Ainscough at The Wellness Warrior - one tough lady with a helluva lot of knowledge about what makes a healthy lifestyle.

11. Rhonda Hetzel at Down to Earth - an amazing online space where this special soul shares all manner of authentic skills, techniques and experiences to create a simple life living within your means and experiencing joy in the everyday. To me this is mindfulness at its most practical.

12. Carolyn Franzke at A Life Transformed - well, me actually. A mama giving everything she has to share with the world, thinking outside the square, giving mamas with depression a chance to understand themselves better and move forward. A beautiful soul creating an authentic, organic online space for big-hearted mamas.

There you have it lovelies, you have my full endorsement for all these gorgeous souls and their online presence. May they inspire you as they do me.

Xx

Let the full moon re-align you

It was a full moon last night and exactly 6 months since that first full moon in January when intentions and resolutions were being set by your heart.

How are you feeling about those intentions now? Are your vibrations just as high? Your motivation just as peaked?

This time of year is often a low for me and I can find it difficult to feel positive about those dreams that have not yet manifested.

And so if this description suits you also (I get it), I have some advice, and some good news...

"You can never miss so long as you're still aiming" - the universe

If your goals and dreams for the year have not yet manifested, keep aiming at them.

If you're not where you wanted to be, keep taking action.

Aiming and action are all you need to focus on, the universe will take care of the rest. 

And so, this 6th full moon of the year is the perfect time to review those intentions, to cement them in your sights, and to make 2014 The Year You Actually Did It.

Need some more inspiration? 

Here are some quotes to get you going:

"A year from now you will wish you started today" - I've seen this written in various forms where motivation is required. Have you seen it too?

"Start before you're ready" - Tara Bliss

"The secret to success is constancy of purpose" - Benjamin Disraeli

I hope by now you're starting to feel pumped up and ready to get back in the saddle. I'm certainly looking forward with great enthusiasm to the next 6 moons and the amazing opportunities that are coming my way.

And don't forget, my Mid-Year Metamorphosis Coaching Program opened three weeks ago. Details are here beautiful souls, I can't wait to work with you xxx

Facing the death of a loved one

"Everything is connected, everything continues" - Thich Nhat Hanh

This is the week my Nan passed away. She was a gentle soul, a stable love in my life and had the most graceful smile I've ever experienced.

To say I miss her is an understatement and my heart is most certainly broken open with a despair that I'm trying hard to contain.

It feels murky here in these depths - a grey void of difficulty where my ego desperately wants things to stay the same and my heart knows she needed to move on. That I need to move on too.

I'm no expert on the death of loved ones and to be very raw and vulnerable with you - I avoid thinking about it and go out of my way to avoid the fear of my own death.

Nan's passing has made me panicky and afraid - of depression returning and of my own coming end one day.

I need to be super kind with myself right now and thought you'd like to know how I've been giving to myself in this time of turmoil:

1. I'm letting myself cry. Perhaps an obvious one but very important all the same.

2. I'm admitting to myself that this heartache is necessary for my spiritual growth. Heartache is good. It opens us up and let's us give more.

3. I'm choosing to believe that Nan continues on in us all, in my whole family, in the very fibre of our physical beings. Her love and strength now falls upon our shoulders to be carried forward.

As I said, I'm no expert on this, but I'm working on grounding myself through these actions.

I'm also thinking logically that there are joys to be had from every moment of our lives - otherwise why are we here? 

And so as I feel that grief and ache in my heart I also recognise that I'm so, so privileged to have had Nan's unconditional love, her gentleness and her care. The force of my grief is a testament to that. And with that knowledge I have a great strength to love and live with joy.

When we transmute and transform our pain, 

when we let it change us, 

we let the sun shine again.

A quote to leave with you...

"I am not afraid of dying because I see myself in...you. You have come to learn with me and there is a lot of me within you. I am giving myself to you. If you have received some understanding, some compassion, and some awakening from me then I am continued in you. Later on, if someone wants to look for me, they just come to you and they see me". Thich Nhat Hanh

The power of vintage arts for raising your vibrations

Here's what my evenings have been looking like lately, once our girls are safely tucked up in bed.

A bit of chocolate, some peppermint tea, a good number of stitches on my needles and I'm a happy mama.

There's something so comforting about knitting, particularly in our colder months - the warmth of the wool, the brightness of the colours in our sometimes drab weather and the sheer meditative simplicity of one stitch after another. Something we can all benefit from, am I right?

This is the Milo vest, which I first discovered through Soulemama and have knitted several times before. This time for a fast growing Bethany in orange, claret and turquoise stripes.

As I write I'm sitting here enjoying the quiet of late eveningtime with the welcome company of my unencumbered thoughts and the rhythm of my knitting. 

It's blissful and creative. A joyful vintage meditation. And I think it's something we all aspire to. Handmade fun. Sleek simplicity. Transformed goodness.

You don't need expensive self-help books or years of lengthy self-analysis or even time to formally meditate each day to feel calm and grounded - sometimes you just need to get back to basics, like they did in the past naturally. A bit of knitting each day, some hand stitching, a homemade birthday card or tightening up the waistband on those too-big pants for your daughter - all are grounding, creative and simple in their intent. 

This is what we need. This is what transforms us organically. One stitch at a time.

So get into it Mamas, and manifest that simplicity you desire through good, old-fashioned handcrafts. My best wishes for simple days to you with love. Xx