Art Work That'll Make You Think!

Wanna have see/read something that will make you think? Here it is. Reflection Frequency is all that. Thanks for look'in!

From the Heart of an Artist

Stephen Guptill paints from the heart. His work is honest, controversial (in a way that makes you really think that is) and SO different from any art you've ever laid your eyes on. Have a look at his facebook page: Reflection Frequency. His graphic novels are a trip to be taken that you will  not soon forget. Enjoy the voyage!

THE ART OF STEPHEN GUPTILL

Relics Arcanum.

RELICS ARCANUM

RELICS ARCANUM

My son is an artist and writer. He’s always loved to draw, paint and write from an early age. If I sent him to his room for a time-out, I’d forget about him and then realize that an hour or more had gone by. I would go in and apologize to him that I forgot his time-out only to find him drawing or reading or just day dreaming! He’d always accept my apology and say, “That’s OK Mum” and then we’d hug and kiss each other. All would be forgiven  :-)

 I don’t always agree with what he writes or even paints but his art comes from within him as it does with any artist. I respect him for that. He’s honest with his art in all forms.

He’s passionate about the environment, animal and people welfare and wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s a big guy, standing at 6’3” and he has a big heart to go along with that stature. He wants to fix all the wrongs in the world but gets frustrated at the lack of caring on a political and local level. He’s opened my eyes to areas that I now do what I can to correct those wrongs. I can’t fix everything but I can do what God has given me in gifts and talents to help those in need.

That’s what Stephen’s art does. His art & novels are his way of trying to awaken the world of the things that are wrong with the world.

Things that you can do: support a foster child in a third world country. I have two foster daughters in Ghana with Compassion. Give or volunteer at a food bank/kitchen. Find someone in need in your community and help them with that need.  Recycle and be aware of what and how you throw things out. Don’t use chemicals on your yard or in your home. LOTS of ideas on Pinterest to help you out with that. I use vinegar and baking soda a lot for my home cleaning and in the yard. For ant control I use corn meal (works great btw). And the list could go on.

Do what you can, with what you can and if we all pitch in, I believe the world would be a better place for all.

Here is Stephen’s web site:  http://www.stephenguptill.com/

Oh, and here’s some examples of Stephen’s art. To have a look at his graphic novels and other art, go to his web site.  :-)

THE GOOD, THE NOT TOO BAD AND YOU’RE NOT UGLY

Since Eve conceived Cain, there have been mums. Then she had Able and sibling rivalry was born. From there on she clothed, fed, refereed and tried her best to keep house and home in order. But I wonder how she looked after having her children. Did anyone comment to her about how great she looked post-birth or did they say she needed to lose that “baby fat”?

I remember so many details of both of my children’s birth days. There were sweet moments of quiet cuddling, breast feeding, and watching every little thing they did, even as newborns.

One memory though was no so sweet. A few hours after I gave birth to my firstborn, I had friends and family in. One of my friends commented within seconds of arriving and said,”You’re still fat.” Now in my defence I was 124lbs at that moment and I’m 5’2”. Not too bad for having just given birth if you ask me. I don’t think my friend realised what she said and I don’t believe she met to hurt me.   I can’t remember what I said to her but it was probably something lame . I also was wearing a johnny shirt and one of those sexy hospital robes that would make a super model look bad.

When we see new mums and tell them they are looking good/better or losing their baby fat, isn’t that getting little  lot personal? How would we feel as older women if we had those comments said to us?  Or woman that are childless? I’m actually guilty about this myself. A while ago, I commented to two mums that they were looking great post-birth. As soon as I said it I realised that they both had probably heard this a gazillion times. They were both gracious about it but something in me screamed that this was going over the line even though I thought they “needed” to hear this and was trying to be complimentary to them.

The Hollywood crowd, the media, magazines, and even respectable newspapers are all guilty of wanting mummy to lose her baby weight and look as good as she did pre-baby.  Then they splash their post-birth pics on their front covers with mummy’s belly being the centre of attention. Why should we as woman/mums have to show off any part of us to the world in the first place!? I mean really, do you see how the dads look post-birth? NO!!!

Think about it. You’ve gained 20 or more pounds, your skin is stretched to the limit and you’ve been carrying this precious bundle inside of you for 9 months. Sounds like a marathon to me.

I think stretch marks and some “baby weight” are medals of honour for every baby you have.  We real mummys don’t have nannys, personal trainers, our meals prepared for us and $$$ coming out of our ears. We actually have to look after our children (hopefully along with dad) run the home (again,hopefully along with hubby), and for some of us, go back to work a few weeks/months after giving birth.

All mums are beautiful inside and out. Parenthood can be tiring &challenging, so instead of harping on how a mum looks, why not take a meal over for the family, offer to do some housework or baby sit while mum can have some personal time getting her hair done?

No one is perfect. Not even the Hollywood-super model people. Beauty is something that radiates from within you. Your looks take a backseat to who you really are and if you’re content to be you. (I’m preaching to myself here!). I’ve met people who by the world’s standards are “beautiful” only to discover that they are ugly inside and it did radiate to their outward appearance soon after we met.

"The Hand That Rocks The Cradle Is The Hand That Rules The World" is a poem by William Ross Wallace that praises motherhood. That one line says it all. It’s up to each and every one of us whether we will be “beautiful” or “ugly”, whether we’ve had a baby or not,  and I don’t mean our exterior.  And let’s be kind to those mums that need our support, not our comments about their body.

 

Climbing up the Rungs

What a great idea!!! Now all I need is an old ladder. Anyone out there have one?

RAW OATMEAL PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!

I wanted to make some cookies tonight so I thought of my favs. The top three are: chocolate chip, oatmeal and peanut butter. Then I had an epiphany! Why not combine ALL my favs into one recipe AND make them raw so I don’t have to bake them and roast in a hot kitchen! And en voila! The below recipe was born!

‘Scuse my lovely photography but you’ll get the idea!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup  rolled oats  ( then 2/3 cup more....I'll explain later) :-)
1/3 peanut butter or nut butter of choice or cashews
¼ cup apple sauce (unsweetened)
1 tbsp honey or agave ( I used agave)
a few drops of vanilla
pinch of salt
1/3 cup of chocolate chips (or carob or vegan chips)

 I used my handy-dandy Cuisinart food processor to make the cookies. Just pulse until all ingredients start to form a ball.

 I put everything in starting with the dry and working my way to the wet stuff.

 Here's where the extra oats come in. I found my dough too wet, so I then added 1/3 cup of oats, pulsed a bit and then added the next 1/3 cup of oats. You can judge for yourself how firm you want the cookies. I then added the chocolate chips and pulsed just enough to mix them throughout the dough.

 Instead of making single cookies, I put the dough on a piece of wax paper and formed a square and patted it down until the mixture was firm and dense.

 Then I scored them into 9 cookies (one disappeared shortly after this shot was taken.....), loosely wrapped them in the waxed paper and popped  them in the freezer. You can just keep them in the fridge if you'd like but I like to be able to dunk them into my tea so I left mine in the freezer. They taste DEVINE btw!!!
Bon appetit!

THE HOLE IN THE WALL

Have you ever visited a place over and over again but never tire of seeing it? That’s the way I feel about The Hole In The Wall on Grand Manan Island in the Bay Of Fundy (New Brunswick, Canada). My mother’s family is from Grand Manan (Seal Cove) and my husband’s parents are both from there as well (North Head and Grand Harbour).

To say that I LOVE GM would be an understatement! I can’t get enough of it when we go down. The trip usually starts when we are in NB at our cottage at Beulah Camp on the beautiful Saint John River. It’s then an easy drive to Black’s Harbour where the ferries are to Grand Manan. The two ferries that are on are large (83 cars I believe for the newer one) with comfortable seating, food services, elevators, a place for Fido (I believe just on the newer ferry) & play area and arcade for the kiddos. The trip is about an hour and a half and docks in North Head.

There are many accommodations on the island from cosy cottages, inns, motels, B&B’s and at least two campgrounds. We usually stay at the Surfside Motel in the Queen room which has a microwave, small fridge/freezer and a hide-a-bed. Our room overlooks the ocean and how great is it that we can have our morning coffee overlooking the water every morning?! Oh, and the coffee’s on in the office area in the mornings. Nice touch!

Lots of great places to eat all along the island but just ask the friendly folks to recommend one of their favs and you won’t go wrong! AND if you haven’t tried dulse…….welllllll….you don’t know what you’re miss’in!

LOTS to do while on the island. My fav is the kayaking tours. I go with Sea Kayaking Adventures in North Head. No experience needed and they have knowledgeable guides that will not disappoint! The tour I took was the evening two hour tour from 6-8pm. We started in Whale Cove and ended in Pettes Cove. Lots of birds (birder’s paradise on and around GB), seals, fishing weirs, boats along the way and the beautiful Swallowtail light house.

One of my fav places on this kayak tour is The Hole In the Wall. An out cropping of rock with a……wait for it!......that’s right……….A hole IN the rock (wall!!) The beauty of the island is hard to explain or even made alive by the best photographer. You HAVE to go and see for yourself. Just ask Mr. Google about Grand Manan and you’ll be taken to a few sites that will help you plan your journey. Oh, and don’t forget to eat some of the local seafood and explore the beaches and catch a sunset at Dark Harbour!

Me, kayak and The Hole in the Wall! Steller!

The Healthy Hybrid- A Life in Transition

Found this on facebook. The above title is the name of her fb page.  Hope it's helpful! :-D

In the past I'd often used asprin masks to deal with breakouts and as a periodic mask to freshen up my skin. It works really well and there are so many variations to this mask. I stopped using when I had kids because it can be flaky and I had concerns about them getting a hold of it. Didn't want to risk Reye's syndrome (info here if you need it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reye's_syndrome) because the only time I could seem to do the mask was when the kiddos were up.

Anywho........ With a basic mask or spot treatment, you crush up the aspirin and mix it with a little water to form a paste. I'll list ingredients that I've used in the past as additives to the mask or to be used afterwards.

Jojoba oil- works like sebum oil (the oil our skin naturally produces), balances our sebum oil, is anti-bacterial, helps with acne, prevents moisture loss, works well on wrinkles and eczema, is anti-inflammatory and restorative. (Jojoba oil is not an actual oil but a liquid wax)

Sweet Orange Oil- is used in aromatherapy for its calming properties, detoxifies and boosts the lymphatic system, helps with collagen formation on skin, has anti- inflammatory, sedative, and antiseptic properties, helps with dull skin.

Tea Tree Oil- has anti-fungal properties and is used in the treatment of dry skin, acne, ring-worm, cuts, scrapes, blisters, burns, rashes, oily skin, cold sores, insect bites, warts, yeast infections, lice, cysts, and athletes foot. It encourages healing, and prevents infection. It repairs skin, penetrates well.

Peppermint Oil- applied to forehead reduces nausea, headache, and relief from stress, depression, anxiety, pain relief. The Menthol in peppermint oil is cooling and nourishes and improves dull and/or oily skin. Prevents clogged pores.

Aloe- improves skin’s ability to hydrate itself, great for burns and wounds, allows skin to heal itself.
Stimulates collagen and elastin and helps with age spots, wrinkles and creases. Prevents suppression of skins immune system, protects against UV rays even if applied within 24 hours after being exposed. Aides in the removal of dead skin cells, penetrates well effectively carrying healthy additives into the skin. Helps with joint and muscle pain, arthritis, is an anti- inflammatory.

Vegetable Glycerin – Great for moisture retention, draws moisture from the air into the skin, is a natural preservative and has antibacterial properties.

Coconut Oil –great moisturizer, delays wrinkles and sagging of skin, helps to treat psoriasis, eczema, ring-worm, thrush, herpes. It has anti-fungal, anti-viral, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties. When applied to wounds it forms a chemical layer that protects from dust, air, fungi, bacteria, and viruses. It is helpful in speeding
up the healing process of bruises. It is also a stress reliever when massaged into skin.

Honey: a natural antiseptic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and superb for healing burns and small cuts. It's also a humectant, which means it helps keep your skin moisturized

Lemon juice: brightens skin, exfoliates, natural source of vitamin C and rich in alpha hydroxy acids, great for acne, age spots and uneven skin tone

Baking Soda: exfoliates,opens pores, absorbs oils, helps balance ph of skin, mild antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties.

Source: Yay! It's finally me!