Happy Fall!

Where oh where did September go?  The fall colors and sunshine made for the most beautiful market last night.  Everyone had a smile on their face and the energy was amazing.  If only I could bottle that up and sell it!  We had a bake off and I wanted to share a photo of Terry's apple pie.  Looking at it instantly warmed my inside and I am not a fan of apple pie!  It just looks like comfort.  It was warm out of the oven.  It made me think how it must have been years ago when people cooked everything from scratch and buying a frozen meal and microwaving was unheard of.  Don't get me wrong, I love modern conviences, but a nice balance is key.  So Today I will send a wish for all of you :
May you find balance in your life and feel warm inside always!

Lisa Fahey
www.speikercompany.com

high fructose corn syrup vs. sugar

Many people do not realize that high fructose corn syrup is composed of the same simple sugars found in table sugar and honey — glucose and fructose — in virtually the same ratios. Health and nutrition experts—including doctors, dietitians, researchers and professional organizations — are in agreement that whether it’s corn sugar or cane sugar, your body can’t tell the difference. Sugar is sugar. Like all foods, sweeteners should be consumed in moderation as part of a balanced diet. The American Medical Association recommends that consumers “limit the amount of all added caloric sweeteners to no more than 32 grams of sugar (8 teaspoons of sugar) daily based on a 2,000 calorie diet”. http://www.cornsugar.com/

“White sugar, brown sugar, sucrose, honey, maple syrup, even high-fructose corn syrup are all roughly the same mix of the simple sugars called glucose and fructose.”Joy Bauer, M.S., R.D., C.D.N., Nutrition and Health Expert for The TODAY Show, Woman’s Day, May 1, 2010

Have a wonderful weekend! Pamela Pomplun-Morgan Healing Essence Massage

Last Saturday I took my son to football and the eager 9 year old waiting for me in the car in full pads made us be about 30 minutes early.  I pulled into the parking lot where only three other cars stood.  To my disappointment, the school lot was full of garbage from McDonalds.  I told my son, "lets go.  It looks like we are going to have to pick up after last nights pigs." We picked up what we could and I was happy to see another father and his two boys join in.  How is it that we can live in 2010 and still have people walking around and being so disrespectful to our earth?  Who thinks the world is theirs to abuse?  I guess there are those out there who don't stop and think about the gifts they are given by being a part of this great planet.  On the other hand,  It was wonderful to see young kids picking up and not even questioning why.  It is our duty to teach children how to respect the earth and as in Saturdays case, what we can do if others don't.
Picking up someone else's trash is never fun, but when you do, you can feel the sun smile and gently pat you on your back.

Lisa Fahey


If man doesn't learn to treat the oceans and the rain forest with respect, man will become extinct.
Peter Benchley

Mother and son time- precious

Many of you know that I have an adorable 14 year old son (that puts him in the 9th grade).  He is at the stage where one minute he wants to spend time with you, the next minute he doesn't so balancing my relationship with my son has been interesting.  I wish someone wrote a book like "What to expect with raising a boy."

Having the busy schedule that I have, I make a point to schedule "mom and son date night" about every two weeks.  It has been difficult to find things to do that we will both enjoy.  We have come to agree that we both like trying new foods.  I have been lucky with my son.  From a very young age I never had a problem with him trying new foods.  He would always say, "Mom, I will try it once and if I don't like it I'm not having it again."  Needless to say, he likes pretty much everything. 

This last Saturday we had "date night" and we decided to try Sushi.  I have never tried sushi before so this was the first time for the both of us.  We both had unknown expectations and a bit of excitement about trying something new.  While we were waiting for our sushi to be prepared we talked and laughed.  It was a great bonding time. 

During our conversation, my son asked if I could buy him a razor.  I said "very funny, you don't need a razor."  "You still have a baby face"  He said, "mom, yes I do, look at my face."  Sure enough, he had some stubble.  Of course, as a mom you know your babies will grow up but I just cannot believe how fast they do! 

So, after our sushi (which was great by the way. Tokyo sushi and grill restaurant-Shakopee)  We want to the store to buy him a razor.  I was filled with different emotions.  Sadness, that my son is not a baby anymore.  Excitement, that I am a part of this experience of buying his first razor.  Proud, that my son is developing into a man.  I wanted to tell everyone "We are here to buy my son his first razor!"

Of course, he wanted the fancy electric shaver and the shaver that has all the attachments to trim a beard and after a discussion about not going overboard, we settled on a simple razor, shaving cream and after shave lotion (I didn't think he needed the aftershave, but what do I know I am a girl). 

On the car ride home, I told him he will have to have his step dad show him how to shave when we get home.  He said, "mom, I already know how to shave."  I said "really, how."  He said he has been watching his dad and step-dad shave for years.  I said "watching someone shave and doing the shaving are two different things."  He said "remember, when I was little and I have a fake shaving kit.  I learned then."  A memory of him when he was 3 or 4 sitting on the counter in the bathroom with his pretend shaver, shaving flooded my mind.  He was so cute and  now look at him he is doing it for real!  I had to hold back the tears.

When we got home.  My son gave me a hug and thanked me for the great time we had together and for his new razor and products.  Even though I know next week he will probably not want to talk to me.  It is these precious moments that I will remember forever.  Mother and son time- precious.
Sarah Jaeger, Mystic Journey

What You Can Eat to Defeat Cancer

I watched this segment on Dr. Oz last week.  Have a wonderful weekend! Pamela Healing Essence Massage.

Foods That Fight Cancer

Anti-angiogenesis, the starving of cancers by cutting off its blood supply, now a proven cancer-fighting strategy in cancer clinics supported by a growing body of scientific research, is migrating to the grocery store and farmer’s market. Many healthy foods contain bioactive compounds – specific substances that affect the body in certain ways, such as lowering blood pressure or cholesterol, or mopping up cancer-promoting free oxygen radicals, or inhibiting angiogenesis. In addition to the foods Dr. Oz and I discussed on the show (airing Friday, September 10, 2010), some other good examples of cancer fighting, anti-angiogenesis foods include:

Green tea
Strawberries
Soybeans
Chocolate
Cinnamon

We now know that all fruits and vegetables are not created equal – some are much more potent than others, based on their anti-angiogenesis profiles.

Read more at doctoroz.com

I recently returned from a most wonderful trip to a place called Holden Village in Washington.  The Village sits in the Cascade Mountains and to say it is a remote location, is an understatement.  To spend a week without phones, computers, TVs radios or cars, brings one a sense of peace that I can not put into words.  So many times I find myself caught up in the rat race of life.  It seems so cliche to say that, and I did not think of myself as living like that until I was blessed with the opportunity to take a step back and live the simple life.  Now I realize how busy we all are and that there is an urgent need for us to make time to take a nature walk, play a game of cards,write a letter,or sit with someone from another generation and listen to the wonderful stories.  I am so very lucky to have been given this opportunity and will cherish the memories and make it a point to live a bit of the "Village Life" right here in Belle Plaine.
Lisa Fahey
www.speikercompany.com

Inner bonding

I have been on my own personal journey for a while now and would love to share with you all what I've been up to.  I have been getting in touch with my inner child and healing old wounds.  It is a long, often hard journey but one I feel so blessed to be on.  When we release our old baggage and connect with our little one (inner child) then we can find so much joy and happiness in life.  When you feel sad, mad, inadequate, lonely. etc....and really stop to listen to what your telling yourself its absolutely amazing.  Our thoughts which stem from our beliefs cause our feelings!  Example)  If your feeling nervous meeting someone new and you really listen to that voice in your head, it might be telling you that your not good enough and that people wont like you (false belief).  And how is that belief going to make you feel?  Sad or scared?  
     Every day, I honor my little one and promise to her, to take care of her and respect her feelings and needs.  I promise to make her a priority and give her what she didn't get as we were growing up. I didn't have the ability to get what I needed as a child but as an adult it is my responsibility to give myself what I want and need.  We don't have control over how anybody else feels or behaves but we do have control over our own beliefs and feelings.  I choose to take care of myself and my prayer for all of you is that you make that same commitment to yourselves.  Your worth it!

The best books I have ever read and that I would recommend to anyone are:
Healing your aloneness       and     Inner bonding         
Both are by Margaret Paul and can be found at amazon.com

Or you can go to   http://www.innerbonding.com/
for a free 7 day email course that goes into more detail about the inner bonding process.

Love yourself,
Sarah Bran de León
www.calmwatershypnosis.com

I made a pledge will you?

Many of us have been affected by the down turn of the economy.  With this added stress and through our limiting belief systems we feel the need to separate from others and compete because there is not enough.  This separation and the idea that others can hurt you and therefore the need to protect yourself needs to be released. 
We are in a period of great change.  There is a shift happening.  It is a realization that what we have been doing is not supporting our needs anymore.  We are now realizing that the old, limiting belief system is not working and learning that we individually can manifest our truth and live the life we truly want to live.

Today's message is brought to you with the help of Nanice Ellis.  Nanice is certified as a Master Results Coach and Master NLP Practitioner. She is vastly experienced in Coaching, Crisis Counseling, and Intuitive Consulting with more than 20 years of Public Speaking experience. Nanice is a member of both the NLP Society and the International Federation of Hypnosis.

According to Nanice: It is time to wake up.  When we embrace oneness - everything changes. Competition falls away. Protection is a thing of the past. Scarcity gives way to infinite abundance. Love rings true and we all choose in the direction of love and kindness. We are now opening to the intrinsic and unquestionable knowing that we really are one of a kind - wherever you look there is only one Kind.
The life you have been dreaming about is awaiting you. All that is required is that you embrace it with open arms and an OPEN HEART as you remember the oneness of Who You Really Are.

The Pledge

The Pledge is an agreement you make to yourself. By committing to this agreement, you will have chosen to align with your highest good and the highest good of all. The Pledge is about personal and global transformation. It is simple yet holds the power to transform your life; and the World! If even 1% of the people on this planet take the pledge, the Earth, herself, will transform and we, the children of Earth, will experience The Harmonic Evolution (THE!)

The Pledge is an opportunity to re-affirm your life and realign it with the life you always intended to create - and live. Most of us have gotten our identities and guidance from educational systems, religions, governments and financial institutions but these crippled and limited systems are falling away; these systems represent old programs and paradigms that have kept us trapped in limiting beliefs of scarcity, unworthiness and limitations. With the falling of these systems, many people are left alone with no identity or guidance to follow. The Pledge is that answer for higher guidance and a new direction.

The Pledge shows you the way and teaches you that the way begins with you. No one has the answers for you and no is going to save you. That fantasy is dead and gone so that a new higher wisdom can swoop down and take its place. The Truth lies intrinsically encoded in the Pledge so that when you take the Pledge and Pass It On, you are saying YES to the Truth and offering it up to those around you. The Pledge gives your life back to you and gives you a seed to plant in your garden; while helping others to plant their own seeds. The Pledge is The New Constitution for a New Life - a New World - a New You.

Nanice Ellis

Join me and countless others who are making to pledge to ourselves to not only benefit our own lives but the world around us.  Go to Nanice.com to make the pledge.
Sarah Jaeger
Mystic Journey

Common pain relievers raise heart risk for healthy people

Found an interesting article on over the counter pain relievers.  Have a great weekend! Pamela Pomplun-Morgan Healing Essence Massage

Common pain relievers raise heart risk for healthy people.  By Ed Edelson, HealthDay.  USA Today


Healthy people who take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve minor aches and pains may raise their risk of dying from heart-related problems, a Danish study finds.

The American Heart Association and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration already warn people with heart disease to be cautious about taking NSAIDs, which include ibuprofen (brand named Advil, Motrin) and diclofenac.

The new study is the first to show the same kind of increased risk among people without cardiac problems, says a report in the July issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, published online June 8.

"Very few studies have been designed to answer the important question: Do NSAIDs also increase the cardiovascular risk among healthy people who use these drugs for minor complaints?" said lead author Dr. Emil L. Fosbol, a cardiologist at Gentofte University Hospital in Hellerup. "This study is the first to confirm that the cardiovascular risk is indeed increased when healthy individuals use some of the drugs."

The risks for different NSAIDs — found in an analysis of national medical records of more than 1 million Danes from 1997 to 2005 — varied widely. Participants, whose average age was 39, who used ibuprofen had a 29% greater risk of fatal or nonfatal stroke, compared to those who took no NSAID.


Use of diclofenac (Voltaren and Cataflam) was associated with a 91% higher risk of death from all cardiovascular diseases, while rofecoxib (Vioxx) use was associated with a 66% increased risk. But the study found no increased risk of cardiovascular problems — indeed, a slightly lower risk of death — associated with naproxen, sold over the counter with brand names including Aleve.


For people taking the largest doses, diclofenac was associated with a doubled risk of heart attack, and rofecoxib (Vioxx) was associated with a threefold increased risk of heart attack. Vioxx was taken off the U.S. market in 2004 because of a study finding high rates of heart attack and stroke.

"These findings are completely consistent with what we have found in patients with cardiovascular disease," Dr. Michael E. Farkouh, a clinical cardiologist at Mount Sinai Cardiovascular Institute in New York City, said of the Danish study. "Drugs that elevate blood pressure and are associated with a thrombotic (artery-blocking) effect can be harmful in patients who are otherwise healthy."

The percentage increases in the study were large, but the absolute overall risk in otherwise healthy people was small, Farkouh said. Nevertheless, "before you take any medication, you should consult with a physician, particularly these medications," he said.

That warning applies especially to people who exercise regularly and are thus more likely to take an NSAID for muscle and joint pain, Farkouh said. Regular use of an NSAID increases the risk not only of cardiovascular problems but also of bleeding, a known side effect of the medications, he said.

In fact, the Danish study found an increased incidence of major bleeding events, some fatal, from all NSAIDs except celecoxib (Celebrex). Celecoxib did not appear to raise the risk of coronary death or stroke either.

The Danish findings are consistent with a 2007 American Heart Association (AHA) scientific statement about the increased risk of heart attack and stroke associated with NSAID use, said Dr. Elliott Antman, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, lead author of that paper, in a statement issued Tuesday by the AHA.

"The recommendations we made were based on our best estimates from the existing pharmacological and biological research available at the time," Antman said. "I find this new study reassuring because it endorses the recommendations we made using a large body of actual clinical evidence."

Antman's advice for anyone taking an NSAID regularly is that "it is advisable to discuss with your physician why it was originally recommended or prescribed, whether you need to continue taking it, and at what dose."
It may be wise to consider alternatives, the study authors and other experts said.

"The majority of studies have shown that naproxen has a safe cardiovascular risk profile and that ibuprofen in low doses (1200 mg and below per day) also is safe in respect to the cardiovacular risk," Fosbol said.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

I Adore Autumn!

Autumn is for me what New Year's is for a lot of folks.  It's my time for reflection, for clearing out clutter, releasing old habits, making a fresh start.  As a kid, I loved getting new school supplies...fresh white paper (hated that awful newsprint paper), sharp-tipped crayons, pristine pencils, and I loved going back to school.  A fresh start, with new things to learn, new friends to meet, new adventures.

All these years later, September feels exactly the same.  Could be the Scots blood in me, as this is the season of the old Celtic new year, though I find that many of my friends feel this way.  If to everything there is a season, then also to everyone there is a season.  If Autumn is yours, then Happy New Year to you!  I wish you abundance, joy and beauty on this year's path of learning, growing, living and loving.

Have it good!  Dawn-Marie, Artist in Wonderland at theartofthehome.blogspot.com

Keystone Women's circle presents an 
AUTUMN GATHERING OF THE GODDESSES!
As Dawn-Marie mentioned in the previous blog, the event will take place on Thursday October 7th.  You will not want to miss out!  Space is VERY limited so contact one of us ASAP if you would like more information.  I will try and attach the invitation soon.
Enjoy this oh so wonderful September Day and stop by the Farmers Market (4 to 7 pm Court Square)

Peace,

Lisa Fahey
 http://speikercompany.com/

Save the Date!

Since I just exhausted this week's rant on the soapbox over on my own blog, I'm out of interesting news of my own, so I will cheat, and share Keystone news. 

Save the date, Thursday October 7th, when we will be hosting an evening of fun and pampering, just for women.  Details will be firmed up next Tuesday, and emails sent to each of our client lists.  If you aren't on any of our email lists, click on one of us, and then on the email link from our individual website, and let us know to add you.

The event will include mixing your own essential oil blend, a bit of yoga, a short massage, hypnosis for stress-reduction, sampling new fall make-up colors, fun decorating ideas, with tips for improving the physical and energetic flow in your own home, a gift bag (or two!) of things to take home, and yummy treats and drinks.  It's an Autumn Gathering of the Goddesses, kind of like trick-or-treat for big girls.

Curious?  Check back here next week, or watch your email!

posted by Dawn-Marie deLara, Artist in Wonderland at theartofthehome.blogspot.com ... click on over to read my soapbox rant on the femininity of power tools!