TZATZIKI SOUP

  The combination of garlic, cucumber, and dill is totally irresistible! Here it is in a soup form, which makes a nice and healthy meal with whole grain bread.

I can´t get enough of it! My tzatziki soup is very smooth and creamy, vegan and mostly raw. A real all-you-can-eat-without-getting-fat food.

The recipe (makes 3-4 cups):

1/2-1 clove garlic
1 avocado
1 cucumber
dill, dried or fresh
1/2 zucchini
pinch of sea salt
soymilk

+ Place all ingredients in a blender, add soymilk as needed to reach the desired consistency. (I like my soups thick.)

  I enjoyed this soup with whole grain spelt bread with vegan margarine. Simply satisfying.

OSTARA FASHION: SARAH KAY INSPIRED OUTFIT

  Sarah Kay´s world is amazingly beautiful. I try to bring a bit of it´s innocence and childlike wonder into our world by my new outfit:

A snug top paired with wide-legged pants. One of my favorite combinations. I loooove loose and comfy pants. Period. The ruffle around the neck edge is brought from Ms.Kay´s world, and is the trick to this look. By keeping the shirt color subtle, the ruffle does not stand out too harshly. The ruffle also adds nice bulk to my shoulders, balancing out my pear shape. Beauty is about proportions, and luckily the eye can be deceived...  =)

  Long skirts are nice, but so unpractical to wear. I like to see these wide pants as the modern equivalent to ye olde times´ long skirts.

I have always liked to combine light green and purple/lilac. They are just right for Ostara.

Makeup adds to the whole. In the spirit of Ostara I do a colorful, pastel, palette. On the eyelids I applied lilac and purple, yes, to repeat the color of the pants. I used shimmery light pink blush on the cheeks, and a light coat of yellow/golden lipgloss. The necklace is one I have bought about five years ago, and I just love it. The colorful beads look like tiny painted Easter eggs. Earrings are my own aromatherapy ones (they go with everything!)

  P.S. Last summer I also made an outfit inspired by Sarah Kay. You can see it here. These two outfits are very different, but possess the same kind of spirit, don´t they?

BIRD´S NEST

  This is our kitchen dining area:

This part of the house was built in 1830. I always do Sabbat-related decorating around the table. Now the balloons are not for Ostara, they are for birthdays around this time.

Grass and eggs are such classics for the season.

This egg is fake, but the nest itself is genuine! I´m no ornithologist so I can´t tell which species built it, but I found it this January at our cabin. It had fallen down from a tree during a storm. The nest was unspoiled, and looked so cute and adorable, that I had to pick it up. And now it gets to beautify our Ostara kitchen table as the center piece! 

WHAT MADE ME HAPPY TODAY

  Deliberately I celebrate the little things in life. I lift them up on a small pedestal even. They are what everyday life consists of, and there´s always something good in every single day. I just need to recognize it.
  Here´s what made me happy today:

A beautiful butterfly (a small tostoiseshell) had awoken from hibernation! The very first butterfly I´ve seen this spring. It was lying on the snow, so I picked it up carefully and let it warm up in the sun. In a few minutes it was ready, and took off flapping it´s beautiful wings.

  Nature and spring rule!

OSTARA FASHION: WILLOW CATKIN- TUNIC

  Willow catkins are a must decoration for Ostara home. But I wanted to go further and embrace it in my garderobe as well. Like this:

Inspired by the soft little catkins that is. Juggling between stylish and costume-like is my things. I like to push the boundaries, but stay on the style side. Therefore you don´t see actual catkins, only hints of them.

The tunic is made of soft cotton velour. It reminds me of the softness of catkins, and keeps me nice and warm in these still chilly days.

I kept the main color of the outfit subtle, while creating contrast with the dark brown edges and the vine running accross the hemline. Small decorative buttons brighten the whole up, and bring Ostara´s beautiful pastel colors in to the game.

Just to show the back.

Since the look is mostly grey and "dull" (which is because nature itself is still mostly grey and dull too) I wanted to brighten it up further by wearing colorful makeup (in pictures the makeup always looks way more lame than in reality). On the eyes I used lilac and purple, on the cheeks soft pink, and on the lips yellow/golden gloss. So there is a myriad of colors going on, but in a fresh and youthful way. For me Ostara is the childish time of year, and my looks respect that.

It´s no surprise that I made the jewelry myself too. These woollen "beads" lead the way, and repeat the colors of the mini-buttons in the hem. I imagined the small dark brown glass beads as the stems of willow, and the woollen ones catkins. You would never know, if you did not know.  And you are not supposed to. Not everything needs to be so obvious. =)

JUICE OF THE DAY

  My eating plan for Ostara includes one juice a day. This morning I had as follows:

I don´t do juice recipes. I simply grab what´s in the fridge, and throw that in the juicer. It´s difficult to go wrong. In addition to this juice, I had a handful of walnuts. 

  The recipe (about 2 cups):

2 small beetroots
1/3 of a fennel bulb
1 orange
1 grapefruit
1 green apple
a wedge of cabbage
1 stick of celery

+ Peel and juice. Enjoy.

  I love the way fresh juice makes me feel. So full, yet lively, energetic, and simply happy! I believe raw foods possess a magic ingredient, one that science cannot discover, one called love.

EATING PLAN FOR OSTARA

  My goal in eating is to stay healthy, slim, and energetic without having to count calories. Also I loath cooking, so I want to get by as easy as I can. My diet is mostly vegan, of which some is intentionally raw. I have found that juiced and blended foods suit my stomach well, so those are included  in this plan.

 "Daily essentials" make for the stem of my eating plan for this Ostara:
1. 1-2 cups of veggie juice
2. 1-2 cups of green smoothie
3. 1/2 cup of raw dip/sauce

  In addition to the previous I can eat pretty much whatever I want, including unhealthy desserts like milk chocolate.

  Another corner stone of the plan is the time of eating. I will try to finish eating for the day by 5pm. That supports the studies showing that it is in our genes not to eat in the evening or at night, and that only through this daily "mini fast" can our bodies do their job properly.
  After 5pm it is all about drinking water and brushing my teeth, which helps reduce my cravings. =)

Breakfast (by 10am): 
1-2 cups of veggie juice (with some apple or other fruit in it to give a bit of sweetness)
nuts or bread

Lunch (around noon):
1-2 cups of green smoothie (including greens and 1/2 an avocado, the rest is up to the content of the fridge)
pasta, rice, bread, tofu, etc.

 Dinner (by 5pm):
about 1/2 cup of dip/sauce with chopped veggies
1-2 cups of green tea with soymilk
dessert of choice (I´m forever addicted to chocolate...)

  The idea for each meal is to eat the daily essential first, and then have whatever (vegan and quite low-fat) I want according to my appetite.

  Two incredibly inspirational raw-foodists out there are Ms. Tonya Zavasta and Ms. Mimi Kirk. I want to be like them when I grow up!

AROMATHERAPY EARRINGS FOR FIGHTING CANCER

  My goodness... I received an email from a lady the other day, saying she wears her aromatherapy earrings (she got from me) to the hospital every time she gets treatment for breast cancer. She is a fifty-year-old diploma-aromatherapist, so she knows what she´s doing. Bergamot is the essential oil she applies to her beautiful beige bow earrings, because it revitalezes the nerves, reduces stress, and uplifts spirits.

(Available on my Nelland Boutique.)

  First I was shocked, then got emotional. But I´m so happy to be able to help her in that frightening stage of life, where she cannot be sure how things will end up. In a situation like that, any possible help is needed and deserved!
  Never did I imagine my "cute little" earrings would go so deep. I was merely thinking of fighting everyday headaches, stress, fatigue, etc. when creating them. But I´m pleased to hear they can do so much more!

  The lady is in my thoughts every day, and I wish her the best. I hope she will recover fully, and can continue enjoying this amazing gift called life!

ANTI-WEDGIE SWIMSUIT

  Do your panties crawl up your crack uncomfortably these days? I recognize the issue, and hate it! But I know it is not my fault. I have not changed that much in the past twenty years, since my teens. I blame the fashion industry. Is it their goal to keep us unsatisfied, so we´d keep buying more?
  I mean seriously, who on earth would enjoy a crinkled stack of fabric up their butt?!

  The same problem extends to swimwear too. And that´s even worse, because other people see you in your swimsuit. Panties can be kept to yourself, but man, swimsuit is public!

  I decided to try making a swimsuit for myself. One that would stay in place and keep me comfortable.
  Lord have mercy, I succeeded!
  (A note about the following pictures. This is wildly beyond my comfort zone. It is not my intent to show flesh on this blog, but I can´t find a way around wearing the swimming gear in order to show it. Body image is a big deal to us modern people. And although I´m in peace with my frame in real life, I feel sensitive about posting these pictures here, because we mostly see gorgeous supermodels in swimsuits. So sorry about my untoned lazy butt! I do Pilates, that´s all I´m capable of nowadays. Just remember: this post is about the swimsuit, not my bod. =)

Straight front view to give you a good idea of the garment. This is my first ever attempt to make a swimsuit, so I opted for the most basic color, black. I figured any mistakes that might occur, would show the least in it. =) But to my pleasant surprise there were no major flaws. Yey!

The shape reminds me of the 1950´s swimsuits with their low-rising leg holes. This pattern is a combination of an aerobics top, a pair of my store-bought panties, and a backless tank top. It was quite a mess putting it all together, and that´s why I was so surprised that the first attempt succeeded. For once something is easy!

I like a strapless back.It is easy to wear and balances out the more covering lower half. The secret to the crotch staying in place is the width of it. Countless times in stores I have looked for panties that would have a wide crotch piece. I have searched cheap and pricey, and over years have only found one model that meets my standards. So I took a  pair of those and sketched the lower part by it. Voilá!

  I test-drove the swimsuit a couple of times in a public pool the other week. It worked well. Then I was finally able to toss my old, grandma-like, swimsuit! Ask my husband, it was hideous.  =)  This new one he approves of.
  I´m sure to make another one later on in different color. Now I´m actually looking forward to the beach season!

KID APPROVED GREEN SMOOTHIE

  Like mother like daughter... It amazes me that a nearly-two-year-old can like raw foods and smoothies.

  We offer our children all sorts of foods, including meats (and eggs and dairy to our girl, who is not allergic to them), and they can choose for themselves what to eat.
  My son excludes all veggies and most fruit, and likes grain and meat. My girl on the other hand excludes most meats, eggs, and fish, but indulges in raw veggies and fruit, along with grain. Is it the man-gene that makes boys resent veggies?

  The sight of our breakfast made me laugh outloud yesterday:

Sweet green smoothies. 2 cups ( 5 dl ) for mommy, and 1/2 cup ( 1 dl ) for daughter.  The recipe: 1 Granny Smith apple, 1 banana, 1 stalk celery, 2-3 handfuls greens, small handful of stinging nettle (or any wild edible green, if available), water. Blend all in a high-speed blender until smooth, add water to your liking.

  In addition to the smoothie, I offered her fruit-flavored soy yogurt, rice cakes with margarine, and grapes. She didn´t want any of those, but instead pointed at a kettle, in which I had just cooked some beluga lentils for lunch. Holy moly is she healthy! She ended up having green smoothie and lentils for breakfast.

  It is said that small children know to eat instinctively. They know when, what, and how much to eat. I believe that can apply to us grownups too, as long as we choose from healthy foods. You know you are hungry for real, if a bowl of oatmeal sounds inviting...  =)

GOLDEN PARTY TOP

  As a stay-at-home mom my life is full of lazy days and hard parties... I wish! But tonight I did get to go out with a friend, without the kids!

  I "accidentally" made myself a new party top this week. =) I say accidentally, because I did not intend to make anything new for the occasion. But during my last visit to the store, this fabric caught my eye. It is perfect for my skin tone, and to be worn year-round in little unofficial parties. How could I have resisted it?!

A cool, crinkled, beige base tinted with shimmery gold. The material is so interesting in itself, that it does not need any gimmicks or hassle around. A plain kimono-sleeved pattern is just perfect to bring it forward.

I paired the shirt with mellow yellow aromatherapy earrings, and added a drop of essential orange oil to set a happy mood for the evening. The golden theme continues in my makeup. On the eyelids I applied shimmery light gold eyeshadow on the inner 2/3 of the lid, and to give depth, greyish brown on the outer 1/3. Blush is beige, and on the lips I used yellow/golden gloss.

  This has been a happy Women´s Day. Women rule!

FREEDOM FASHION: LIVING THE DREAM- SHIRT

  The mind is a powerful force. It can make us either happy or unhappy in our lives, depending on how we look at things. I try to stay on the positive side, and to boost that I made myself this inspiring shirt:

A basic off-white shirt combined with jeans is a timeless classic everybody looks good and fresh in. Regardless of age. But have you ever seen a seventy-something wearing this? I have not. It´s a shame really. I think women can be gorgeous at any age, and there are no such things an elderly woman could not wear. As long as my posture stays good and healthy, I ride towards old age with pride and confidence, looking forward to what life has to offer.

Back to the issue... It says "Living the dream" on the bust, to remind me that I am the most important person in my life. I need to take care of myself first, and then I can be my best to others as well. The world is out there for me to grab bits and pieces from, to build the best life I can for me and my family. That´s the attitude I feed and keep in mind, and try to pass on to my kids. Anything is possible, and I need to be grateful for the little things in life.

The back is plain. As can be seen, I like slightly loose clothes. Especially pants. And I admit: I hate skinny jeans. I don´t know who they look good on.

I hand-printed the text on with fabric paint and stamp letters. Then I added delicate pearl white drops of another fabric paint to give it slight contrast and to make it three-dimensional. Very subtle.

  Living the dream... What better attitude to have towards my life?

VEGGIE PATTIES & GREEN JUICE

  My husband inspired me to try these veggie patties by bringing home store-bought ones the other day. He is a big-time meat eater, but praised those veggie patties to heaven and back. Of course I had to try them. Well, not bad, but at the same time I was thinking how they were nothing out of this world, and that I could easily make patties equal to his find. But I would make them even better by keeping them vegan (no dairy or eggs) and gluten-free.
  I made my version of the veggie patties today. They were so good (yet easy to make), that I want to share the recipe.  This is one of those foods you can eat as much as you like without getting fat. (I ate half of the amount the recipe makes  =).
 

This is my whole lunch today. The content on the white plate ended up in my Vitamix, and became a nutritious green juice. (Oops, I now notice that the frozen nettle I added in the juice is missing from the picture.)

The recipe for the veggie patties: In a big bowl, combine a generous 1/2 cup (1,5 dl) of soy flour, another generous 1/2 cup (1,5 dl) of buckwheat flour, 3/4 tsp Herbamare, and 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme. Pull out any veggies you have in your fridge, including carrots, and grate/grind about 1.5 lbs (700 g) of them finely. (I found carrots, zucchini, onions, and bell pepper in my fridge today.) Mix in with the flour and add about 2 Tbsp olive oil too. Form patties, place on a baking tray lined with a baking sheet, and bake in the oven at 450 Fahrenteit(230 Centigrade) for 15-20 min.

The recipe for a refreshing, and somehow summery, green drink: mix in a high-speed blender one Granny Smith apple, a one-inch (two-centimeter) piece of fresh ginger with peel, a handful of wild edible greens if available, and as much of any salad greens you can tolerate, with some water. I added water enoug to reach 2 cups (1/2 liter) altogether. Even my nearly-two-year-old liked this juice! She has proven to be a hc-raw-foodist.  =)

  Have a happy and healthy day, loaded with positivity!

MY GARDEROBE: THE IMBOLC COLLECTION

  It is time to summarize my creations for Imbolc. My goal is to make five outfits for each sabbat. So far I have four completed for Imbolc:

Behind one of the doors is my seasonal, sabbat-related, collection. As the wheel-of-the-year turns, so does my garderobe change. That way I regularly get a new set of clothes, that feel new and are just right for the time being. The styles I like have changed only a little over the years, so the garderobe is durable and thus saves both money and the environment (and encourages me not to gain weight!). I love my system! It has made life so much easier.

I hang everything in sets, jewelry included.

The Ice Skater.

A close-up of the available jewelry for the look.

The Ice Faery.

The jewelry selection for the look. I can choose to wear as little or as much as I want, according to the occasion.

The 1920´s White Blouse.

Less is more. The cross is a relic from my past, and holds sentimental value to me, not religious.

The Cotton Candy Princess.

Once again, many options to choose from, not all at once.

And finally The Snowflakes.

  All the above from my imagination, made in Nelland.

IMBOLC ACCESSORIES: A TINY HANDBAG

  Apparently handbags are my new area of interest. This one is quite small, and holds only the most essential items like a phone, camera, and wallet, but can also fit a bottle of water or gloves if needed. This one is for those "sophisticated" strolls through the city without kids. =)
  Although March has begun, it is still Imbolc in my calendar (still a week or so to go before switching to Oestara). Therefore I made this bag in Imbolc colors, the ruling ones; grey and light blue.

The look is simple and quite modern. One handle, instead of two, is easier to use and reduces hassle when digging in. The color combo goes with all of my Imbolc outfits.

A snap button keeps the bag closed, but is quick to open when needed.

This is the first time ever I try working with thick faux furniture leather. It was a pleasant surprise to notice my basic Singer sang through the project with no problem! The neat thing about faux leather in a handbag is that it is stain- and liquid-resistant, and it is so sturdy that it keeps the bag well in shape.

I lined the inside with this adorable baby blue cotton with white polka dots on it.

  Time will tell if this cutie becomes a favorite. Sometimes it is difficult to judge beforehand. Life is the best test. But it sure looks nice! Thumbs up.  =)

DIY AROMATHERAPY/DETOX EARRINGS

  I´m so happy for inventing my aromatherapy earrings, that I wish everybody could have the chance to try them. Even for free. Therefore I share with you the making of the beauties.

  To me the most important thing is to spread happiness and good mood to this world, and I wish this diy-tip will do the trick. Now you don´t even need to buy the earrings, you can make them yourself. Either way, I hope you try these!

Get the instructions here!

  These aromatherapy earrings make a great gift too. For sure the receiver does not yet have a pair!  =)