Starting from Scratch

Organic Gardening

Healthy Living with Nature

How our Health Journey Began.......

Our amazing journey started with our need to lose weight

and a gift of a book called "Flat Belly Diet" from our son, Jason. From
this book we learned about good oils and fats, and the foods they are found in, good nutrition, exercise. What we eat affects how our bodies perform.

 And it was a truly great GIFT because we have lost weight and started a journey to empowered health and well being, to regain our wellness.

With the help of the "Flat belly Diet" book I lost 11 kg in weight  and my cholesterol level went down to 5.
My partner lost 17 kg in weight and his blood pressure medication was halved.

Our next venture was to obtain the "Flat Belly Diet Cookbook like the one our son ,Brady and his wife Liane, were using." The recipes are beautiful, the food delicious and easy to prepare.... and they worked for us. 
We maintained our amazing new weight loss, and kept it off.
 I now weigh 85 kg.
 my partner weighs 76 kg.

So now our minds were open to changing our life.
 And we are passionate about sharing our successes.

My blogs will be about the path we have taken. We will share what we have learned, so we can help others to reach their full potential.

Happy thoughts!

A Mother's Day Prayer

Treasures In The Garden

 

We would like to wish all Mother's a very Happy Mother's Day. And may all Mother's who have passed away enjoy eternal HAPPINESS.

A prayer we said for all Mothers around the world, in church this morning:

 

God of LOVE

listen to this prayer.

 God of holy people, of Sarah,Ruth a

  Holy Mary, Mother of Jesus,

bend down your ear to this request

and bless women of our families.

Bless them with strength of Spirit,

 they who have taught our children

how to stand and how to walk.

 Bless them with the melody of your LOVE,

 they who have shared how to speak,

how to sing and how to pray to You.

Bless them with a place at your eternal dinner table,

they who have fed and nurtured the lives 

that were helpless, but embraced in their LOVE.

 Bless the women of our families today,

now , in this lifetime, with good things, with health.

Bless them with joy, LOVE, laughter, and pride in our children

and surround them with many good friends.

 May the women who cared for young life

be carried one day to Your Divine embrace:

there for all eternity,

to rejoice with family and friends.

 This blessing and all graces, we pray,

 descend upon the women of our families. Amen.  

My word for today is "MOTHERING!"

Happy Habits

Treasures In The Garden

Happy People

Some people are lucky enough to be full of the joys of life. And it's not always the people who are famous, money rich,attractive, slim,who are the happy ones. Real happiness

ss is something which is deep in our soul, it's attitude, it's a choice we make. Not every day is a diamond but how we help ourselves to get through our dilemmas, and our gratitude for what we have is what gets us  in a better place.

 Here are some habits that can be made part of our everyday life:

DECIDE to be happy.

Embrace and cultivate the positive.

NOURISH our physical body.

Good food,sleep, exercise, fresh air, hydration are the keys.

NOURISH our .

Tap into your passion. Keep on keeping on. Love what you do.

Find "your" PEOPLE!

They'll like you for yo

u. Stay away from the negative.

Become GRATEFUL.

 Be thankful for big things and small. Keep a gratitude journal.

 Don't COVET "STUFF."

STUFF will not make us happy. It may only bring us debt.

FOCUS energy on what matters most.

Forget the past. Don't fret for the future.

Don't compare ourselves to others. We are our own unique selves.

Every day is worth celebrating.

 Bring out the "good" tableware, wear the nicest dress/shirt.

Donate our unique talents.

 Volunteers report great happiness, better health,

connectedness to community and the wider world.

"Fall seven times, get up eight"- Japanese proverb.

Problems are only temporary setbacks, learning curves, NEVER defeat.

Let HURTS go! They only hinder happiness. 

Throw away the trash. 

Give up chronic stress. BREATHE EASY!

Look for GOOD in all people.

 Be generous with our compliments. Be kind to all whom we meet.

Lift others up.... lift up ourselves.

RELAX.......be Happy!
from an article in Better Homes and Garden

http://youngshope.productsthatfascinate.com

  

Painful Perfection

From my garden

How do I get free?

To escape being a slave to perfectionism

 you need to understand and challenge 

the underlying beliefs  that drive us 

to get "things right".

Perfectionists think that their beliefs

are indeed,FACTS

For an example:

"If I make a mistake

it will be catastrophic."

Get into the habit of challenging 

these thoughts with a reality check.

Take note of when you make a mistake-

or something was not quite right.......

Did your feared outcome come to fruition? 

Replace this kind of thinking of being "perfect"

with the realistic thought "I will do my best".

This can be frightening at first.

But make a start on setting realistic standards.

Remember: they are there to help you to do your best.

This way you won't lose the things that mean the most to you-

relationships, leisure time, good health.

Good luck! It will take practice. Eventually things will improve.

Good Health Magazine ( Jennifer Garth)

 

 

 

 

Accumulating Wealth

Treasures In The Garden

 

Accumulating material things.......

 

Focus in on non-material values
and their amazing benefits.

Enjoy the beauty of a sunset/ sunrise.
Forget watching television.

Look after our health
 -take a walk
-play with children.

Recognize that consumerism
does not improve our own well being,
or that of our nation. 

.......has camouflaged the riches

we have within ourselves, in our country and in nature.

 

For the good of our health

Treasures In The Garden

 

Happiness in life.......

 

I have decided
that to be happy
 is so very good
for my health ....
and well being!
           Sobriety House

.......makes all the difference!

 

My word for today is "Health!"  

 

 

Giving, sharing, gratitude.

Treasures In The Garden

  

Giving and sharing

 

How do we say thank you
 for sunshine, good health......
For beautiful weather, for falling rain,
 for being happy, for having joy and love? 
 We can say thanks by 
sharing things that we have.
 We can say thanks and make the world
 a better place to live in, in tiny meaningful ways.
                                                                                   Soul Writings
Blessed are they who give......

We can put smiles on faces,
 bring flagging spirits to life,
 reinforce with positivity, 
            make an impact on the life of another.....
          .......it need only be the simplest act. 
                                                                                                           Simple Tom

So go out and give! 

 

 

 

Take time to frolic in the rain......

Treasures In The Garden

 

Making precious memories.......

Sometimes circumstances or people
 can take away our material belongings;
they can take away our finances;
and they can take away our good health......
 But.... NO ONE can take away our precious memories!

 

DON"T FORGET:
to make time,
 to take opportunities
 to make memories EVERYDAY....

Please take the time to "run and frolic in the rain."

                                                                       Morning Story with Dilbert

A Christmas Blessing

    Treasures In The Garden

         There's much more to Christmas.....

                                                   

             The gifts I leave beneath your tree

          Are not the kind you touch or see

             Not wrapped in in Christmas wrapping gay,,

         But gifts to bless you every day.

The gift of friendship warm and true

Is one that I would leave for you.

Good health and happiness and cheer,

To keep you smiling through the year.

The gift of peace that comes from God

With prayers to guide each step you trod.

And when your heart has lost its song,

The gift of HOPE to cheer you on.