Three Things

Hola! I see a few new names/faces listed. Happy to meet some new adventurers! Tara, the headliner picture for this blog was taken in my kitchen, in Merida. The produce was just too pretty to resist! You're gonna love the markets.

No pictures today, just a few tidbits to pass along.

SpiritAir. I heard those words last fall at the Festival Latino, in Wilmington, where we, by chance, met the couple who run the Belize Consulate office in Wilmington. Who knew there was a Belize Consulate in Wilmington? We fell to talking about travel, and quickly learned they had just returned from Machu Pichu. Well, that caught my ear, as that Sacred Incan place has been on my List for a long time. We haven't been yet, simply because of the price of airfare. Well, SpiritAir to the rescue! Our traveling friends told us that while we don't have to bring our own seats or seat belts, flying SpiritAir is pretty bare bones, and cheap. We are now in possession of two tickets to Lima, Peru!! We don't have tickets to return yet, but will book that as soon as the November schedule is posted on-line. Hey, it always works out. SpiritAir has a pretty wide-ranging schedule, and very good prices.

Totally different topic. Vitamin D. Seems that I'm perpetually low on Vit D fuel, and in reading and talking to friends, learned that many people are low on Vit D. Those particularly at risk are folks who are couch potatoes (avoiding the sun), and anyone older than about 40. It's vital for the absorption of calcium, which is vital to bone health, which is directly connected to living out loud. A Vit D supplement is cheap, with no side-effects.

Moringa Oleifera. ohmy. How could I have lived this long without knowing about this plant? My friend and fellow gardener, Dixie, gave me a plant last weekend. It's pretty and is sometimes called the Miracle Tree because of it's nutritional value. It has 7 times more Vit C than oranges, 4 times more Vit A than carrots, 3 times more iron than spinach, 4 times more calcium than milk and 3 times more potassium than bananas, according to www.moringamatters.com. If all I've read about this plant is true, it could possibly be a big contributor to the feed-the-world campaign.

There's another good story about Dixie and gardening, but I'll save it for later. So, there you have it. Three Important Things in my world lately.

Love!

 The night before the Sistah's headed to the beach, we celebrated with Sistah Gini the engagement of her daughter, Blair, to Brett.  The party was too fun, lots of laughter and pictures, family and friends, some of whom surprised Blair when they arrived.

















 




Two of the entertainers for the evening, who kept us all laughing!

















The Honorary Aunties, and the Bride- Elect....

Wishing y'all many candlelight dinners!

Sistah Rejuvenation Week

 If I'm not just about the luckiest girl alive, I'll kiss....!  

Once again, the Sistah's Spring Rejuvenation Week has done just that.  Our mansion for the week is just perfect, with a huge living/kitchen/dining area that has fabulous light for all our projects, and overlooks the ocean.  The cooking arrangement allows the cook for the night to stay with the rest of the group while preparing an always delicious meal.  And, reliably, the dolphins perform for us.


















We arrive to a nicely decorated house, and we immediately disassemble the place, to create a place for six women  to create...by bringing out own tables, we're assured of plenty of work space!












Let the creativity begin!
















 


Julie and Kari had a small circle challenge between them, and Martha and I modeled the finished results.  I have no clue what they'll do with these bright circles, but Martha and I had fun playing with them.

















 


I spent one day with some hand-dyed fabric, the Shiva paintsticks and some texture plates, turning out this piece of fabric.  It's become a summer dress, with the two coordinates barely showing at the bottom of the photo.  Lovely stuff, those Shiva paintsticks!  Thankyou, Julie!











The collector in me just can't let go.  I've lived by the beach my entire life, and still have to haul shells home.  This week, they turned into my version of a Sailor's Valentine, for my Valentine.  Gotta love Elmer's Glue, and a trash cart over-filled with cardboard, which I used for the base.


We all worked on a short list of projects, but more importantly, we enjoyed a week of support, and our own schedule.  The only rule for YSA weeks:  do whatever makes you happy when it makes you happy to do it! The challenge is to find that same balance in our daily lives.