Meditation

My friend Marco has studied Psychology and is a very spiritual soul. Over the years he has passed on a few tips along the way. I always write down everything he shares with us as I find his knowledge so valuable. I thought it was important to share this knowledge so I will be posting some of his wisdom from time to time. In January 2004 he taught my husband and I how to meditate, this skill has helped both of us tremendously. The first 6 weeks I meditated every night for about 10 - 15 minutes and, to be honest, I thought I would never be able to do it and then all of a sudden...bliss I was able to quiet my mind.

1. Make sure you are in a comfortable position and your back is straight.
2. Take three deep breaths. Breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.
3. Look straight ahead and without moving your head look up with your eyes to what some people call the third eye (or you can pick a spot on the ceiling to look at). By doing this you activate the glad situated in the middle of your forehead that is full of serotonin (the feel good drug your body naturally manufactures). Hence the fact it is hard to think negatively while looking up.
4. Concentrate on your breathing, although not too many deep breaths while meditating or you'll pass out.
5. At the same time as you're looking up try to stay in peripheral vision. When you are first training yourself to do this it is helpful to hold both your hands out to your sides about 20 -30cm away from your head and slightly in front of your head (about where you would hold up your hand to wave at someone). Concentrate on being able to see your hands out the corners of your eyes as well as looking up at the same time, this will keep you in peripheral vision when you're not used to doing it.

If you have made sense of what I have written then you are now meditating and this is where it gets interesting, as what I like to call "the Monkeys" in your brain start to try to take over. The brain doesn't like to be told what to do and by meditating you are disciplining your brain. So your brain will try to distract you by any means possible and suddenly your thinking about that bill you have to pay or what you have to do tomorrow. When those thoughts enter your brain thank your conscious mind for this message and then give permission to your conscious mind to send it away with love. Avoid letting your brain control you. Concentrate on relaxing; if prayer is your thing, this is a good time to pray as prayer is a form of meditation.

With discipline and regular practice you will begin to reap the rewards for being able to quiet your mind. My husband and I now meditate for about 1/2 and hour to an hour every night and it feels so good sometimes it's hard to come back to reality.

At the beginning, while you are learning, I would suggest keeping your eyes open as you are trying to learn to look up and stay in peripheral at the same time, which is easier to learn with your eyes open. Eventually when you have learnt to do this you will be able to do this with your eyes closed. Yes, eventually you will be able to stay in peripheral with your eyes closed!

Good luck, stick with it, you will eventually be able to do it and most importantly make sure you stay in peripheral vision - this is the key.

Honest and True, you will succeed

Band Name: Stoutsville

Name of Album: Honest & true, you will succeed

My friend Wendy http://sicefamily.blogspot.com/ made up a pretend Album cover for a band an idea she got from the Alice's Adventures in Wonderland blog.

Make a pretend album cover for a pretend band as follows...

1. Google 'wikipedia.com' and select 'random article' from 'the sidebar. The title of the first article is the name of your band or artist.
2. Google 'random quotations' and select the first entry. The last four or five words of the last quotation on the page is the name of the album.
3. Google 'Flickr'and explore the Last 7 days. The third picture is the album cover art.
4. Use photoshop to put it all together.

Talking about my friend Wendy, she has opened her own etsy shop full of her gorgeous cards, some lovely Alice in Wonderland card packages available...check out whimsicalworks.etsy.com

My Album cover turned out more like a folk band, but I must say I loved the message in the name of the album. Love your album cover Wendy and the pic is awesome. I know my Sister Kaz will be trying this one out. Come on Kaz, I know you want to. Kx

First Birthday Cards

We have a few 1st Birthday parties to go to over the next few months and we also have Chloe's first birthday party in October, so I'm starting on the birthday cards. Here is the first lot and also a pic of the Lolly bags I have made for Chloe's Birthday.

I have used present wrapping paper in the first two cards. The pink card has been embellished with clear and pink rhinestones.

Mackintosh Inspired Cards

These are the first of my Rennie Mackintosh inspired cards, very fiddly but I'm getting the hang of it. The creative juices are starting to flow. I will add more cards as I finish them.

I know I did promise in an earlier post that my next lot of cards would be the butterfly/music script theme, however the Mackintosh cards have taken over. My Mum has been away overseas for a while and I think this is my creative way of expressing how much I miss her, Mum being a Mackintosh fan and all.

Charles R Mackintosh

I was first introduced to the architecture and designs of Charles Rennie Mackintosh by my Mother who absolutely loves his work. I have decided to make his work my inspiration for my next set of cards, so stay tuned for the results.

I adore his design work and have attached a few photos and some history on this very talented Scottish Architect and designer.

Gorgeous chair

Mural

Lamp

Charles Rennie Mackintosh was born in Glasgow in 1868 and started his architecture career at 15 years old after he was apprenticed to an architect, called John Hutchinson. Mackintosh worked for Hutchinson between 1884 and 1889. He also attended classes at the Glasgow School of Art where he met Margaret MacDonald (later became his wife).

In 1889 he became a draughtsman for a new firm of architects; Honeyman and Keppie and became a partner there in 1901. It was during his time at Honeyman and Keppie that Mackintosh designed the new Glasgow School of Art, a commission that he won as part of a competition, which was to be the project that made his reputation.


Mackintosh has a very distinctive architectural and interior style. There is a definite modernity to his style but also a strong Scottish tradition combined with Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts influences. The Mackintosh style combines sharp right angles with subtle curves and his work is peppered with decorative floral motifs, the most famous being the Mackintosh Rose.

Taste Book

I am currently putting together a book of family recipes as well as some recipes that I downloaded off a great website called http://www.recipezaar.com/ . The recipe book is a book you put together online at http://www.tastebook.com/ and is similar to the momento photobooks but instead of photos it is filled with your own recipes. You can add a dedication page and you can choose from a heap of cover pages with beautiful pictures, you can add your own photos to the pages with the recipes and heaps more great options. I am currently asking my family and extended family for their favourite recipes. I can't wait until the book is finished, it is a great way of preserving those special family recipes.

If anyone would like to share their favourite recipes with me I would love to try them.

Top 100 Baby Purees

Thanks to my sister I have come across a great book with 100 quick and easy meals for babies. It is written by Annabel Karmel who is a best selling British author on nutrition and cooking for babies and toddlers. Her website address is www.annabelkarmel.com It has lots of great info on weaning your baby, time-saving tips for food preparation, freezing and reheating, and 100 recipes.