Namely Marly

We had a lazy weekend morning recently where we sat on the newly built deck (thanks, honey!) and enjoyed the start to our day. It lasted just until the mosquitoes came out in full force (yes, mosquitoes begin their attack even early in the day in our neighborhood).

The deck was a long time in coming and we were grateful to be at a point where we could finally enjoy it. But I don’t think anyone is enjoying it as much as Coco.

Perched up near the gateway to the yard, he finally feels as tall as he thinks he is.

From this vantage point he can peruse the yard and spot any critters that need to be chased.

Or at least think about it…

Mostly, King Coco seems to prefer some sort of Jedi mind manipulation, signaling squirrels to beware. At least that’s what I imagine he’s doing because he does a lot more looking and ear twisting  than actual chasing.

We love the new deck and we know it will bring many benefits, some expected and some yet to be determined. One bonus we hadn’t anticipated was that our deck would become the throne for King Coco!

As you can tell from my recipes, I love sweets. I love preparing them, the aroma of a baking cake in the oven, and the happy faces of those who eat them (at least most of the time).

My friend Stella wrote recently on her blog the Witchy Kitchen about the dangers of excessive sugar. I took her words of caution to heart and although I don’t plan to stop baking, I do want  to make sure we have some healthy sweet alternatives on hand.

I’ve also been inspired to feel my best by Victoria Moran who has been discussing her voyage into raw foods. I’m intrigued by the way she describes her new lease on life as a result of her improved diet.

That’s when I decided I needed a quick and easy recipe for a raw cookie. As luck would have it, I found this tasty recipe for Energy Orbs on My New Roots. The first time I made them, I followed the recipe to a tee and then proceeded to eat them all (not at one sitting). The second time, I made a few adjustments (because I just can’t help myself).

These raw cookies are still sweet, but they’re free of white processed sugar and they scratch that itch for something a little sweet after lunch. Just like any cookie, though, it’s hard to eat only one so be sure to make plenty!

Delicious Date Balls

(Source: My New Roots)

Ingredients:
2 cups dates, chopped
2 cups nuts (I used Brazil nuts, but walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, cashews, and/or macadamias also work well.)
¼ cup cocoa
⅛ cup coconut flakes
Sesame seeds for rolling (optional)

Directions:
1. Set out a few sheets of parchment paper and a storage container
2. Place the dates in a food processor. Pulse until processed to a paste. Transfer paste to a medium bowl (don’t clean processor).
3. Add the nuts to the processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the nuts, along with the cocoa and coconut to the bowl with the fruit paste. Use your hands to ground nuts into the paste.
4. Shape the dough into small balls. You can roll the balls in sesame seeds, which will prevent the balls from sticking together.
5. Store in parchment-lined containers in the refrigerator.

I took an unexpected trip recently to southern Missouri, where my sisters and I own a little bit of land. I hadn’t been to our bucolic acreage in quite some time, so I certainly wasn’t expecting much from this visit. It’s farmland in Southern Missouri. What could be exciting about that?

What I found, however, was anything but dull. The land was clearly in need of some tidying up, but it was alive with character. Oh, and lots of bugs. I mean a LOT. But I also found some hidden treasures to share with you all.

An old rusty ring on a fence post. My uncle used to be a dairy farmer so I’m sure this had some purpose. I can see where my uncle crafted this himself and that makes it a very valuable find for me.

Who knew that something so exotic looking would be growing wild out on our farm in Missouri.

If you’re out in the country, you either have to have an affection for or at least an ability to tolerate bugs. They’re everywhere. These little guys had burrowed themselves into some of the peaches on our peach tree. Bugs may be creepy, but they’re smart. Those were some tasty peaches!

This is the old tractor that my uncle rode almost daily. It was obviously near and dear to his heart because he kept it protected in the big old barn. You’ll be surprised to see in the next picture what he did NOT keep in the barn.

This old Plymouth must have been more like a hunk of metal to my uncle because it’s been sitting out in the yard all these years. Who knows what this baby would have been worth had it been kept in the barn too (trust me, there would have been room for the John Deere and the Plymouth!). Oh well, it still has plenty of artistic value to me!

Did I mention there were bugs? Most of them were quite brave when it came to buzzing around my head, but they were shy when it came time to getting their picture taken. Hmm, who would have thought that a camera could also be a bug repellent! All I had with me was my point and shoot camera, but next time I intend to take a decent camera so bugs beware!

The biggest treasure of all was rediscovering the land itself; miles away from highways, cable, and, even decent cell phone reception. I don’t mind the first two, but the last one is kind of nice when you’re out in the country all by yourself.

Article first published as Life Lessons from Eat, Pray, Love on Technorati.

Elizabeth Gilbert went on an amazing journey of self discovery that culminated in her best-selling book and now hit movie, Eat, Pray, Love. The New Yorker describes the author’s journey as “a yearlong trip of recovery, with three main stops: Rome, for pleasure (mostly gustatory, with a special emphasis on gelato); an ashram outside of Mumbai, for spiritual searching; and Bali, for ‘balancing.’”

We’re all basically the offspring of immigrants which means we have that spirit of journey and adventure inside. Connecting to our more migrant nature, doesn’t mean we have to take a multi-month tour of distant lands (but that does sound nice).

During times of self-reflection and renewal, people choose to reinvent themselves in different ways. Some, like Elizabeth Gilbert, go on journeys. But that’s not always a practical (or affordable) option for everyone. Elizabeth says herself that it’s possible to transform yourself right at home. The trick is committing the time and energy toward that endeavor.

Below are the top three life journey tips that I gathered from Eat, Pray, Love:

• Embrace Failure. Have you lost a job recently? Gone through a divorce? Life has a way of bringing all our well-thought out plans to an immediate halt sometimes. I think that’s because our plans are oftentimes too linear. Life is really more like a 2-step dance; you take two steps forward, followed by one step back. Or sometimes two steps back. The point is that when life sends you a flat tire, don’t just put on the spare and keep going. This is a great time to also reevaluate the map.
• Be Your Soul Mate. We all spend (or have spent) a lot of time looking for or that perfect life partner, our soul mate. It seems to be part of human nature. But how much time do we spend nurturing the soul mate within? So many of us have busy lives running kids here and there, working, commuting, etc, that we hardly take time to spend time with ourselves. And even when we do get a few minutes of quiet time, do we really spend it trying to know ourselves more? Elizabeth Gilbert took a voyage to Europe and she went by herself. You don’t have to go to Europe, but how about a walk in the park? Or a trip to a local museum. Julia Cameron in her book, The Artist’s Way recommends weekly dates with ourselves where we treat ourselves like we would someone on a date. Go to a local cafe. Enjoy yourself. Pay attention to the scenery. Enjoy the moment. Then you can return to your family refreshed and with stories of your own to share.
• Defend Your Happiness. I love this quote from EPL, “Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it…And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it. You must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it.” I’ve never thought of myself as the warrior for my own happiness, but I think it’s an idea worth considering. The important thing to note here is that I’m not defending my happiness at the expense of others, but that in fact, others around me will benefit from my happiness. As a “defender” of my own happiness I am much better prepared to be a beneficial presence to those around me than when I’m filled with misery.

There are many more life lessons that could be gleaned from EPL (such as understanding the importance of gelato in the healing process). You can read the book and/or watch the movie for yourself to create your own list of life lessons. What’s most important is to look for the lessons in life, take chances to practice those lessons, and find adventures for the immigrant soul inside.