PAID TO BE ME part 2

I have really enjoyed watching the rise of epic bloggers, who really put their hearts into their blogs and then later.....much much much later reap the financial rewards that came as a result of their personal blog posts.

Two epic bloggers are Seth Godin and Tim Ferriss. You can find their blogs easily online, and they have reached a threshold of number of fans that their ideas have garnered a sizeable income stream.

I remember Tim Ferriss talking about how much time he would sometimes spend on only one particular blog post..... hours of thought and much preparation. But, though those pioneering days are well behind him, Tim's sacrifice to try to create an epic blog made him a creative trailblazer in the world of blogs and modern thinkers.

My goal is to be "PAID TO BE ME" for lack of a better slogan....but that WOULD make a great t-shirt eh???
Yes, blogs can certainly bring you to that point, if you devote enough time, skill,luck and energy.

Anyway my original reason for wanting to blog today was just to mention to all the bloggers that read my blog looking for inspiration... I just wanna let you know that  we, the common man/woman LOVE to
see real hand made homemade art. We love it when you upload photos of the latest doodle you sketched on a napkin at that greasy spoon down the street. We love it when you post eccentric photos of mushrooms you
found in the creepy forest down by the crick.
We love it when you show us how you totally suck at applying eyeliner, complete with painfully obvious pics.

So what am I saying? Don't be so obsessed with writing words.....we love pictures that reflect who you are in all your kooky glory. We love drawings, painting, videos and sketches of your latest crazy inventions.
And yes, someone might just scoop up your unpolished ideas, but we will all have been privileged to ride that roller coaster before you get bought out by the big wigs.

Peace, bloggees,
Carla







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Doggy Bone Soap....Homemade and EASY PEASY

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Well, this is my second batch of home made soap. Looks like a doggy bone but smells like a gingerbread cookie and lathers up great.
You can see the link to the recipe below and all I added was my own preferred amounts of dried cinnamon and clove spices. Then I cut it into pieces after it hardened enough after 24-48 hours and I've been letting it dry and cure for at least 4 more weeks. I was hoping to wait 6 weeks before trying it out, but just couldn't wait!

And yes again, I did NOT have to go out and buy expensive items in order to learn how to make my own soap.
No weigh scale was needed, and I stirred it myself with a wooden stir stick. No need to buy a stick blender unless you really want to.....
The only curious thing about this soap is that due to the spices I used it does have a brownish tinge to the lather... Hmmm I wonder if it would leave a bit of color residue on cotton clothing if some dripped onto it by mistake. Not sure yet how that all works ")

Want to learn how to make your own soap from scratch like I did?The old fashioned way? Just go to
www.diynatural.com
Their instructions are easy to follow and in my estimation...superb!

                                                         

Wow, My EASY Homemade SOAP Actually LATHERS!

My First Experiment in Making Homemade Soap from Scratch!I was delighted to see that it actually lathers! Nice and bubbly!


So, why did I choose to make my own soap? Well, because I like reducing things down to their absolute lowest and simplest common denominator.

Everything, it seems can usually be reduced down to it's most simple form.
I had been watching tons of Youtube videos about soap making. So, I set about to figure out how to make it myself.
But one of the obstacles, was that most of the soap makers wanted me to go out and buy a bunch of expensive doo-dads such as a digital food weighing scale, as well as a handle held electric stick blender .
But I didn't really want to spend money on those gadgets so, I was  patient and persistent to keep searching the net until I found a recipe and instructions that were NOT based on weight, but rather on simple kitchen volume measurements and simple ingredients.

My biggest obstacle then was to overcome my fear of  dealing with REAL lye.
To be truthful ...LYE is a VERY dangerous substance, and it is unfortunate that you can't let your kids help you when you work with REAL lye. Lye is so caustic that it is commonly used as one of the ingredients in many very powerful drain cleaners. It literally can burn right through a clog in your pipes. Always deal with lye according to proper safety measures. 

Well, after stirring up my courage and a phone call to our local hardware store, I located and purchased a bottle of lye for $7.99 canadian at Home Hardware. The other items I purchased were:
rubber gloves, large hard plastic pail with handle, and three bottles of oil including : olive oil, sunflower oil and coconut oil. The only other ingredient is water. I also added some of my own dried dill weed spice just for an added visual appeal.
The other items I already had at home.....the measuring cups and wooden spoon and plastic container to let the soap cure in.
The only mistake I made was to use newsprint to line my plastic container, because as the soap cured and dried, the newsprint stuck right in with the soap and I literally had to carve it off of my soap after it was done curing.
So, rather that yak on about how I made this small batch of homemade hand soap...... I am simply going to send you to the instructions I found on another website 
which is can be found at this link:  MAKING HOMEMADE SOAP WITHOUT A SCALE.

Their home base for their website is simply diynatural.com


I would encourage you to visit their website. It is honestly the only simple and straightforward           "small batch" homemade soap making recipe that didn't force me to have to buy a scale.

I didn't even have to buy a stick blender. I simply used wooden spoons and let my soap cure for at least 3 weeks before attempting to use it.

I would encourage you, for those who like "Pioneer-ish" types of activities to give it a try. But do be sure to follow ALL of the safety precautions including wearing long pants, long sleeve shirts, rubber gloves and safety goggles and making it in a well ventilated area. 
All the wooden spoons and bowls or pails that you use for soap making can NEVER be used again for food or kitchen use. Keep your soap making stuff  entirely SEPARATE from everything else and label it  well and keep it away from children.

It's kinda cool to realize that if some strange cataclysmic event happened that prevented me from buying soap, that I could literally make my own as long as I could find some lye. Does that make me sound like a prepper?? Hmmmm.

No I haven't learned how to make my own lye yet, which I have heard and seen can be made in a pioneer style from cold wood ashes.  I have absolutely NO ambition to learn how to make my own lye. This city girl has gone far enough for now. Woohoo! I am now officially a soap maker !

The Push Towards Meditation and What It Means for Christians

Everywhere, ok not exactly "EVERYWHERE", but in a Big way,the modern push towards meditation and "mindfulness" has quickened.

As a christian this change in society has been both inspiring and alarming, comforting and disturbing.

When I go to a local gym, there are "Yoga" classes teaching meditation.
Even in the public school system, some of the teachers are taking the time to teach the class room of vulnerable minds, how to meditate and practice their own version of "mindfulness".

What Encourage me is the following:

1/ I am encouraged that society has become self aware of the need for stress reduction strategies in the classroom and the work place. We can't control stress, but we certainly can learn how to deal more constructively with it in our daily lives. We CAN control how we react to stress.
2/ There is a spiritual quality to meditation which has been touted by such business leaders such as
Ariana Huffington and others. Ariana Huffington gives credit to the Biblical applications of meditation as described in the Bible, for the promotion of interaction with God and listening for His impressions.
3/ It is always a healthy sign when leaders in society allow and even encourage their workers to
take "meditation" breaks during the work day. This practice allows a christian to spend time with God in the practice of prayer, scripture study, and meditation in the scriptures and prayer.
4/ Meditation and rest are cousins. Those who promote meditation promote rest and usually are peace loving folks. Who doesn't like a peaceful person?

What Concerns me about meditation and mindfulness training:

1/ I don't want my children to be taught spiritual principles outside of the teachings of the Bible. Although
I want my children to learn how to "self calm" via deep breathing and focusing on God and His word, I am concerned that some of the modern bents of meditation training does not respect a traditional understanding of christianity or the Bible, but has assimilated a few concepts from many of the major religious groups of the world and mixed them into some kind of strange new unscriptural religion.

2/ Some meditation techniques involve "emptying" the mind, which is not what the Bible teaches. The bible teaches us to renew our minds by filling it with God's Word, as revealed to humanity in the Holy Bible.

3/ What precisely is "mindfulness"? Is is being aware of what we are thinking constantly? Is it obsessing over
ourselves and making us into even yet more self centered humans?
Not to be too simple minded....but what should our "minds" be full of???
According to some gurus, our minds should be blank slates? But who are we clearing our minds for?
For God to write on? Yes, that would be great. But what if we are being encouraged to empty and clear our minds in order for some false religion to start to fill our minds with their priorities?

I don't know about you, but the only "being" or "person" who is permitted to write His thoughts onto my mind, is God, Jesus and His Holy Spirit. I know that narrows down my options, but that is a choice I have made in calling myself a Christian. Christian IS a narrow road, and does not embrace any and all religions. To pretend that Christianity embraces any and all religious teachings is simply wrong and inaccurate.

So how about you, my friend in Cyberspace? Does modern meditation comfort you? Or does it set off warning bells in your heart?
Looking forward to reading your comments,

Peace,
Carla.

Don't Throw Out that Pumpkin! Make Old Fashioned Fried Pumpkin Seeds!

Some of my neighbors make displays around this time of year with whole bright orange pumpkins....They don't even carve them up, they simply arrange them..... perhaps with some other decorations to make their front porch look "harvesty" and abundant.

Well, as a professional scavenger, I refuse to let these beautiful pumpkins go to waste.
I was also given some great big pumpkins via my local Fruitshare organization that also has the same
"Waste not, want not" mentality.

So, our family set about to fry up some good ole fashioned pumpkin seeds and I'd like to share the simple and low cost process with you. Since we fried them in vegetable shortening and only seasoned them with salt, they are actually a vegan item. Yay :)

So hear goes......

 First you get a fresh whole pumpkin and cut a hole in it big enough to reach your hand in to collect the raw seeds. It's best to use a pumpkin that no one has tampered with first....no holes, bruises or carvings at all.
If you pumpkin is whole and complete, then the seeds inside will be perfectly fresh and ready to fry. Pumpkins stay fresh longest when they remain unopened and uncarved. Storing whole pumpkins is best done in a cool place such as outside or in a cool basement or garage.

Then you place all the collected seeds into a container complete with all the gushy orange odd pieces that come from the inner pumpkin.

                                                                                   

Then you wash the seeds in a collander or some kind of sifter until the seeds are clean and free of all debri. If you don't own a real sieve, then you can also use the upper pot of a double boiler and they work well too....as the holes in the upper pot of a double boiler are small enough to wash down and away the extra orangey stuff while not allowing the seeds to go escape down the drain.

Then you melt at least three large heaping tablespoons of vegetable shortening in your favorite frying pan or sauce pan. Add some salt to the seeds as well. Just use your individual taste to make sure you have just the right amount of salt.

I

Voila, it will probably take you about 10-15 minutes to fry up one pan of pumpkin seeds.
Take care to let them cool down a bit before you nibble.

Tasty and fresh and a great source of fiber as well.
Enjoy!

Three Products that Have Never Failed You

Ok, I'll start..... my three products that have never failed me would include:

Sunlight Dishwashing Liquid,

Clorox Liquid Bleach

Kellogg's Corn Flakes.....



I know branding is sooooo vital...because it can take many years before a brand name becomes entrenched into the social psyche as a "reliable" and "valuable" brand name item.

Let's take "Johnson and Johnson", which provides, among a myriad of other products, skin care products that are suitable for the very youngest humans, our precious babies.  I would not hesitate to purchase any item that Johnson and Johnson has labeled as suitable for babies. But I would also be the first to admit that it has taken Johnson and Johnson many decades of deliberate hard work and public relations efforts to foster that sense of trust that the brand evokes in my mind.  It has also helped their cause that their company faithfully snails mails out high value coupons to any consumer that bothers to email or call them on the phone.

Building a brand name attracts not only faithful consumers, but also interest in the investment world.
Folks who follow the edicts of the Legendary Warren Buffet, try to focus on "simple" companies that market
products that we all recognize and use almost daily. Johnson and Johnson succeeds in that front as well.

Ok, now it's your turn. What are three products that, in your mind, have never failed you? Does their brand name pop easily into your mind?
Looking forward to reading your comments in the section below.

Peaceful productivity,
Carla

Who Decides there is an OIL GLUT? Or Dwindling Supplies?

With all the ruckus about low oil prices, I've really come to wonder about the ACTUAL reality of oil supplies in North America.

Apparently, according to the media.... there was an "OIL GLUT" over the past year which has caused the price of a barrel of oil in North America to plunge below $50 on a regular basis.

But then again, I just read more blurbs from yet more media this week about "dwindling supplies" of oil in
the U.S.  So really.....go figure. Who is right? How much oil do we really have "seen or unseen" in storage tanks within North America?

What I find amusing is that there seems to be more of a market for hyped opinions than for actual scientific facts. Yes, my friends.....oil can certainly be literally measured....but really isn't it just more fun to make up stuff?

There could be professionals who make it their life's work to go around to all the major oil storage facilities in North America and actually MEASURE how much oil is sitting there. But perhaps it isn't feasible to have that kind of broad "access of information" regarding our precious oil resources. Maybe REAL data is too valuable to disseminate to the general population.

So perhaps we need to continue just be like blind sitting ducks and wait and "believe" whatever hype the media wants to sell to us on a daily basis.

Oil and Gas is a huge industry that props up huge swaths of our economy. And no, there's nothing wrong with that. But it appears that folks make a tad too much money from selling "hype" when it comes to the oil and gas industry. People like talking about "plunging prices" or conversely, about "peak oil" scarcity when the mood suits them. News channels love to report about how many good folks are to be laid off from working in the oil fields.

But I would like to encourage myself and any other willing souls to simply determine to seek out the facts, where ever they might be available or even if they are "hard to find"..... and to use ONLY the facts to form the opinions that we  want to hold.


Peace and prosperity,
Carla

A "Food Not Bombs" Dinner Invite

Well, I had read about it for years on the net and was always just a wee bit curious as to what it was all about. Feeding humans for free can't really be all that controversial can it?
Apparently so...... I read that "Food Not Bombs" was at one point, considered to be a terrorist organization by the U.S. government. Perhaps that was many years ago, when even John Lennon was considered a "suspicious" person by the U.S. Government. Perhaps passivism was not quite in line with those who had a penchant for "war".

But anyway, my family and I were invited the other day to a "Food Not Bombs" community dinner to be held in a local politician's head quarters who would get some good free publicity from the event.

So, remembering the event at the last minute, I convinced the family to join me in an adventure at our very first invite to a "Food Not Bombs" community dinner. As we arrived, I noticed that several of the dinner guests had arrived on foot or by bicycles parked near the tidy white building. As we entered the politician's domain, the dinner guests had sprawled around a few haphazardly placed rough wooden tables and chairs. Most were chatting quietly and scoping out the looks of the other unfamiliar attendees. The dinner guests, a colorful array of local humanity,.....no two alike, each with a different world view, a different kind a life, home and way of being. No talk of economics or stock market fluctuations could be heard. Just forks scraping plates and jesting between those who happened to know one another. Fertive glances towards those, like my family, who didn't know our way around. Glad to see that the courageous gal who had invited us, was there too, happily hosting and welcoming the motley crew.

No paper plates, just real Correlle and a hodege podge of unmatched over-sized ceramic plates to claim as we made our way to the buffet array of vegan dishes. Some were hot..... some were cold... but all were very clearly prepared with love and concern and a certain spartan determinism.

You see, all of the food that was used to prepare the dishes served at the "Food Not Bombs" dinner was donated by local businesses, and generous individuals. I was informed in advance that the meal would be vegan, but I must admit that I was unprepared for the delicious and broad array of brilliant dishes to choose from.

The only thing I really missed was having "traditional" mayo or salad dressing to add to the great veggie salad. But the silky homemade hummus more than made up for it's absence.

A radio turned to a local pop rock station floated and bounced tunes round the room. The guests outnumbered the wooden chairs, so we sat down on the edge of a landlocked dock out back.... taking in the cool breeze and bright evening sunlight dancing on the wild grasses just behind the landing.

Munching on my vegan feast, I mused quietly.Can it be possible that we can really "just feed" other humans, without having some kind of ulterior motive? Can it really be this simple, just to invite other humans for a meal, prepare the meal and be ready to dine in style with perfect strangers? It's so amazing, I hadn't heard anyone talk about  money for the entire meal. No collection plate is passed and no tickets were sold for the event. Just free food, for free humans. Amen sister. Amen brother.

The vegan feast included a hearty veggie salad complete with dark leafy greens, tomatoes, sesame seeds, and chopped fresh mushrooms. A dollop of homespun hummus smoothes it all out.
Then there was a potatoe and kale hash dish, warmed and comforting. A wholesome dish, that I don't really know the name of,  contained veggies and ripe red kidney beans. All and all, the meal was fresh and complete.

 There were several other dishes and a pot of soup that I didn't get a chance to sample, as I was simply just too full from the monster size salad and bean dish.
For desert there were fresh local pears, shiny vegan chocolate cake, of which my son helped himself to two slices, and a crunchy apple crumble in abundance.

How can all this be vegan, so tasty and satisfying and still be "free"???

Well, as nerve wracking as it can be to force oneself and one's family to venture into completely new social settings, it was an adventure that I am glad we undertook. To be met and greeted by the lady who prepared the meal and gave us the invite created a good friendly community vibe. Photo ops and thanks were made to the politician who let "Food Not Bombs" use her campaign head quarters at no charge.

I must say that it is ultimately VERY refreshing to meet a group of people who simply believe in feeding other human beings, without any other strings attached.

Not to get too philosophical.....but let me close by saying the obvious: Some folks talk a lot and others folks like me.......sure do write a lot....and then there are those blazing trails with their practical example.

Thank you for the bountiful meal. God bless.

In my opinion...There is NO Energy Shortage

Let's have a  rambling energy discussion shall we?

All the rage over the past ten years there have been too many pundits crying about some "looming"   ENERGY CRISIS.

But, when I look around me,  or dig through any manner of intelligent magazines or newspapers, there is massive evidence to the contrary. There are so many forms of energy already being utilized and there are therefore unlimited ways in which to tap it .

There's the "E=MCsquared" formula which Einstein coined.
So basically "anything" .....any item and object in and around our earth has potential energy contained within it simply because it exists. The question is simply how to coerce energy out of these objects in the most viable manner. What is possible is not always financially practical....and may be simply too awkward to pursue.

The bottom line seems to be that there are enormous financial obstacles as well as the huge invisible hand of the business and political community. Let's start by admitting that the world isn't running out of energy!!

 There is something also called "The Law of the Conservation of Matter" which according to my limited  scientific understanding would also support the idea that there really is no lack of energy in our world.....things simply change form....they actually NEVER lose their "mass" a.k.a their "weight".

Therefore, if an item has a weight to it....then it exists and can be plugged into the "E=MCsquared"
formula. Every "thing" has potential energy contained within it, just because it exists or has weight.
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Ok, 'nuff about that.... Now let me spout about the related issue of financial support and political will.
With all the current and more "well known" energy technologies such as
geo-thermal energy, solar energy, wind energy, wave energy, hydro electric energy, and
bio-mass energy.....it seems to me that what is lacking is simply the political and "business" will to support and mass market these newer technologies. When governments pull up their sleeves and start REALLY supporting these alternative energy forms......it may actually create a society in which regular consumers can choose which energies to utilize for their regular and business activities instead of being forced to simply plug into their regular province or statewide electrical grid. But that would mean FRAGMENTING the energy marketplace instead of CONSOLIDATING it. Both fragmenting and consolidating the energy marketplace have very different financial consequences. Consolidation brings in space for HUGE monopolized conglomerates.

Fragmenting the energy marketplace would gives us humble consumers MANY choices and options. However, governments and business people may not be too excited to pursue a fragmented energy marketplace because it dilutes the potential clout of A HUGE energy CONGLOMERATE.

Permit me to be a little long winded today...(.If you want short blurbs...visit Twitter ok?)
For a real life example......In my area of Ontario, Canada, where I reside, there are numerous road construction projects underway.
What caught my eye are the orange colored traffic control lights and flashing signs that are solar powered, with easily visible little black solar panels keeping them humming along.

Now, I would like to know....why is it that the construction industry has figured out the cost efficiency of using solar powered gadgets on road projects, but the average regular "consumer" is still stuck plugging everything into the usual grid???

If there really was loud and vocal support for solar power in my neck of the woods, I would assume that at least HALF of the appliances and gadgets in my home could operate independently from the solar/wind energy that I could collect, generate and process on my own home turf.

Why is it that the government has only supported solar projects that feed back into the status quo
regular energy grid??? If I am going to produce/collect my own solar energy, I MIGHT NOT WANT TO SELL IT BACK into the electrical grid. I might just wanna be selfish and use it all up for me and my family and my neighbors. THAT would be REAL energy independence. THAT would also protect me and my family from any province wide blackouts ...that happen when you utilize a public electrical grid.
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I find it really strange that "energy independence" is all the rage to help "develop" rural African communities and regular folks are being empowered "literally" to buy and install solar power cells onto the roofs of their humble tin roofs, thus creating a very low cost, sustainable and INDEPENDENT power source for
isolated rural individuals and families and small businesses in Africa.

What I don't understand is that there seems to be so little political will to doing the same for regular Canadians.  For the record...I am just really tired of paying electricity bills. It seems like
that cow is just being milked so staunchly that no one really wants to undermine that money making machine that is our utility grid. Don't even get me started on that proverbial "sliding scale" that gives lower energy prices for corporations instead of regular consumers.

Ok,  rant complete..... Peace,
Carla

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Check out M&M's Gluten Free Items!

Twas a great relief to discover this summer that all of my favourite beef burgers selling at 
M&M Meat shops were ALL GLUTEN FREE!

It seems that they have extended themselves to cater to those who want to observe a gluten free lifestyle and I couldn't be more delighted!

Check out their website : M&M

Peace and Bon Appetito,

Carla.

Thx for buying my new book Life in the Gluten Free Zone on Amazon today!

Zero Commissions to Buy and Sell Stocks??? Can it Be TRUE?

Well, lots of folks said it just couldn't happen, but it took two young ivy league computer
geeks to prove them wrong.

Stanford grads Vladimir Tenev and Baiju Bhatt 

have built a mobile stock trading app called "ROBINHOOD"  that appears to be currently functional in the U.S.A as we speak.



Current plans are under way to get approval to function in Australia next.

Will Canada be next??? I certainly hope so.

Whenever someone talks about ZERO commission fees for stock trades, the question arises as to just HOW the company"Robinhood"will glean their earnings. Will they tack a couple cents on the spread between the bid and the ask? Or will there be hidden fees to produce some menial ikky things like "end of year " tax forms??? Investors want to know....

Well there's still time for me to do more research. As a canuck, ROBINHOOD is still beyond my reach as you need to be an American resident to use their app as of now. 

You can guess that the other discount brokerages are gonna watch these developments like a hawk and do their best to discredit what "Robinhood" has to offer.....perhaps even going so low as to question the "safety and security" of trading via a "free" app.

But once all the flurry settles down and ROBINHOOD becomes functional all across North America, perhaps it will really just heat up the competition and thus drive down commission fees for all discount brokerages worldwide. ALL discount brokerages are going to have to prove themselves all over again, as to why we should be willing to pay good money for the "privilege" of giving perfect strangers our money to trade stocks with.

I am delighted with the ROBINHOOD invention and I wish them all the best. I pray that they will maintain their "free" trades policy long enough for many of us to make some great big bucks. 

Peaceful productivity,
Carla

Is Optimism ALWAYS the best thing to have???

I've been reading the book entitled "Warren Buffet Invests like a Girl.....and WHY You Should too"
written by Louann Lofton.

Within Chapter 2...... I found this quotable bite:

"While optimism in most parts of our lives is something to strive for, in investing it can poison your judgment and outlook." 

         (pg 22 last paragraph)

I just thought that sentence was a treasure I couldn't keep to myself.

It kinda sums up what I have found to be one of my own gender's downfalls on a regular basis. You see, many women have been socialized, raised up and reared to be smiling nurturing and optimistic....in order to be good moms and wives. However, if we are ever going to make head way as a gender in the capital markets of the globe, we are going to have to give ourselves permission to be ruthlessly honest and
cuttingly critical.

I'm not talking about being "mean" for the sake of just being a jerk. I'm more talking about being able to critically analyze investment vehicles with the same accuracy and demand for results that "men" typically command.

Men don't feel that same compulsion to wear an empathetic smile at all times, that many of us women have been raised to wear.

We  girls need to take the time and effort it takes to develop a seasoned and critical financial eye....being able to confidently analyze balance sheets and financial reports with panache and no undue levels of
compassion. Businesses are created to turn a profit, not to be a dumping ground for gullible investors.

So ladies, I just want to challenge myself and y'all as well, to develop the emotional integrity and knowledge base that we will need if we are going to....as the bible describes "inherit the land"....in the world of capital markets and investing.

Don't feel like you must be perpetually encouraging all the time. Give yourself permission to
take a step back, do your due diligence and research, and when the situation calls for it, be able  and willing to publicly call a lemon of an investment, .....a really REALLY bad idea....without apologizing for being forthright and bold.

Have courage friends,

Peacefully productive,
Carla.

Your CHanging Brain

Had the privilege of viewing the quite short documentary filmhosted by David Suzuki of "The Nature of Things"
by CBC Learning
entitled "THe BRAIN THAT CHANGES ITSELF" 
and it was quite an eyeopener.

The film discusses how scientists have now proven that our brain is even more adaptive
and capable of rehabilitation than modern man has ever thought possible.

According to the film,  "The BRAIN is Changing ALL the time
.... the challenge then is "to GUIDE the changes".

So this revelation backed up by case studies that are revealed in the film, shows us that our current state of mind is not a permanent state of being. Merely by "thinking" we can actually change our brains quite literally.
We can improve the conditions of our brain through various activities and exercises.

Our brains are very "plastic"....very moldable and subject to interventation and a limitless array of therapies that can help heal our brains when/if  it experiences some kind of disability or injury.

The film also explores how modern technology can assist blind people to "see" by feeding visual information through other senses, such as touch. Our brain's ability to receive sensory input from unorthodox sources and
re-assimilating it into our mental processes to produce higher coping and survival skills is astounding.

If you can get your hands on this very short documentary film, it is definitely worth the time it may take to source it.

This type of research encourages us all to continue to guide ourselves to exercise and challenge our mental capacities, and thus causing our brains to grow new connections and synapses. We can thus literally "change" our brains by using them in new ways.

Peacefully productive,
Carla

More Precious than Gold

It is good when you know....finally really know that God Almighty has heard you.

It takes an unutterable sigh of relief to express that load that lifts from one's shoulders.

For striving is common...and so very easy.


Try , try .....try harder they seem to jabber at you in one way or another.
Maybe you should do this....maybe you should do that....

But wait....calm......breathe in ...breathe out.

God has promised to support and lead me personally with His Spirit. I don't need some guru.
Nor do I need some "yes person" who just blindly flails about with easy encouragement pointed at my soul.

There is nothing worse than unwise words of encouragement. Why? Because  a good friend knows when to really tell you off. A great friend knows when just a look of correction will help you understand that you need to change your path just a tad.

 A good friend is willing to lose your friendship for the sake of saving your soul.....because he/she refuses to tell you lies to flatter your ego.

A good friend knows when to say no, and when to tell you that you're feeling sorry for yourself.

When God gives you a good friend, treasure and protect that friendship as more precious than gold.

Peace,

Carla.

Let Your Goals Hem You In

It's summer time....woot woot.But when you find that the summer air and kids running hither and thither are just about to
send you off course......take time to review your written goals.
Allow your goals to hem you in.

Sometimes even the weather can easily besought us and get us off course.
Have your written list of goals ready and handy to access in a second's notice.
I know that some of you protect your written list of goals with ultra high security, because you feel that somehow if someone in your home would glance upon your list, that they would somehow be able to tamper with your dreams.

But don't be afraid. Be courageous. Make a plan, write down at least one specific life goal that you can work towards. Most humans have about three major goals. The rest will fall into alignment as long as your goals are pleasing to God. What do I mean by pleasing to God? I mean that your written goals must be in the direction of "good will unto mankind".

So, folks, enjoy the jubilant weather and put the sunroof up in your car and get down to the beach this weekend. And when you catch a quiet moment in the midst of your fun, grab that beautiful list and rehearse your plan.

Peaceful productivity,
Carla

Allow for Processing Time when you Dally in the Scriptures

Truth be told, this post might be just a little bit more comfortable for Christians to read than others, just because it's focus is about how we read the Scriptures.
If you're not sure what I mean by "Scriptures"....I mean the Holy Bible....such as that is known as, for example.....in the King James Version, the Amplified version or etc...

Many Christians spend time regularly in reading the bible, however, I wanted to talk today about what we do immediately following that time of bible reading. Do we cram our thoughts with yet another christian book or a recording of a preacher? Do we feel that we must utter words after a time of scripture reading?

I was pondering today that perhaps it makes more sense sometimes.....after you have spent a chunk of time reading the bible, that you allow yourself to float and ponder for a quiet period of time.

For example, let's say you spent 10 solid minutes reading the bible out loud. Well , what are you going to do immediately following that time? Are you going to talk AT God and tell him a whole flood of words? Or are you going to try to read someone else's interpretation of what you have just read in the bible?

Well, I am going to suggest that you allow God's Holy Spirit for a period of about maybe 20-30 minutes after bible reading to kind of "carry" you. Be still and very quiet....even if you start doing some basic task like
washing the dishes or clipping the hedges, or sweeping the floor. Stay quiet and allow that time you spent in His Word to sink in.

Try not to get too intense about it all. "Trying" in a really stressful way can actually kill the flow of the Holy Spirit in your day. Just stay peaceful and keep your heart in a "listening to God" kinda mode for that period of time immediately following reading the bible.

I have found it be most refreshing....to insist upon that "resting" period after allowing the Bible to carve out new paths in my brain.

Can ya'll relate to what I am telling you?

Wishing you peace and quiet rest,
Carla