Harvesting Soy

A large combine harvesting the soy plants across the road from us.

Tai Chi Originally developed for self-defense, Tai Chi has evolved into a graceful form of exercise that’s now used for stress reduction and a variety of other health conditions. Often described as meditation in motion, Tai Chi is the best self-care idea to promote serenity through gentle movements.

I would like to thank Tina Kvrgic, Northern Stamper and Jackie Vandersar-Boot , The Pampered Stamper for all their hard work and dedication in making this first fall retreat such a great crafting success. The retreat was held at the Hilton in St. Jacobs The hotel provided a free breakfast for its guest, so we took advantage of it Saturday and Sunday. It was a five minute walk to St Jacob’s market so that is where we headed for an hour after breakfast on Saturday. The array of fruits and vegetables was amazing. Our classes started at 10:00 am to 9:00pm with a break for lunch and supper. There were display boards set up around the room showing cards that We were able to take photos so that we could recreate them at home. The organizers showed us different card making techniques and a few 3D creations. The rest of the day we worked on our cards and projects. Tea, coffee, water and cookies were available for us all day. Sunday after breakfast there were more technique demonstration and we finished up our projects. The retreat ended at 3:00, but a lot of the ladies left sooner because they did not want to drive in heavy traffic. The Fall Craft Retreat in St Jacob's is already booked for the last weekend of September 2024. Guess who signed up all ready.

KISSING Here is one of the best self-care ideas and activities that most of us quite enjoy-yes, I’m talking about kissing! By activating the pleasure regions of the brain, kissing induces your brain to release a mix of hormones such as oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin, which are responsible for feelings of happiness, pleasure, affection, and connection. It also reduces the stress hormone cortisol. So… kiss away!

I am looking forward to a great weekend. Tomorrow afternoon I am taking a pottery class and Friday afternoon Wolf is driving me to St Jacob’s for a a 3 day Fall Craft Retreat.

Sunday's Self Care Acupuncture Acupuncture is one of the best self-care ideas and treatments for various body ailments. Fine fneedles are inserted at specific points to stimulate, disperse, and regulate the flow of vital energy, and restore a healthy energy balance. The goal is to relieve a health condition or symptom, such as pain. This practice comes from traditional Chinese medicine and various scientific studies have confirmed its effectiveness.

What are some issues of poor self care? Increased headaches, stomach aches, and other physical symptoms of stress. Difficulty falling and staying asleep. Challenges in choosing healthy food and urges to eat “comfort” foods. Worsening mental health symptoms like depression or anxiety

This Jeep was in the parking lot at the Marina when we went to see Theodore Tugboat on Thursday. Tori so much wanted to take the parking pass sign and Wolf put a ducky under the windshield wiper. It is a Jeep thing.

We went to Port Colbourne yesterday to see Theodore Tugboat. we were allowed to wander around the main deck.

 Lables that Wolf created for me to include with my swaps.

 The first  Christmas card that I made this year.

 Sundays Self Care

Massages are the best self-care idea to can help you release any physical strain you may be carrying and are really great in taking care of your body especially if there is a lot of stress in your life. The relaxation produced by a good massage can release the stress hormones and greatly improve our physical and mental health.

7. Acupuncture

Sundays Self Care tip

5. Progressive muscle relaxation

Progressive muscle relaxation is one of best self-care activities which involves a two-step process in which a person systematically tenses and relaxes different muscle groups in the body. Helps us to spot and counteract the first signs of the muscular tension that accompanies stress and beat it before it grabs hold. Also, an excellent tool to falling asleep fast.

 My first visitor to my new craft room/workshop that Wolf is finishing for me.  I will be asking him to leave later in the day.

Snails

 I put the skins of my watermelons outside for the snails to enjoy.

 Sunday Self Care Tip

Move Your Body

Any activity will do, bonus points if you actually enjoy it and can fit in your schedule! Think solo dancing in your living room, walking up and down your stairs, Zumba class, Yoga with Adrienne Youtube channel,  pedaling a stationary bike for 15 minutes after lunch, doing jumping jacks in your office, or walking an extra loop at the mall. In other words, moving your body does not mean an hour-long advanced cycling class at 5 am (unless that’s your thing of course) but any realistic activity for your lifestyle, routine, and personal preference.

Seeing deer in the neighbours field is a daily occurrence.  Sometime there is a whole herd with their little spotted fawns.  The field is across from a Provincial Park, which is their home.

 Sunday self care tip

3. Nutritious Meals

Healthy eating starts with learning what our body needs to feel nourished and how we can fulfill these needs with nutritious foods we like and enjoy. The next step is learning the nutritional basics about the foods we consume and what fuel the human body needs to be healthy and strong. I really like the free Fooducate app for learning the nutritional values and benefits of different foods, and it also tracks your activity levels. Based on all this information we can make a solid, educated, sustainable, and very easy-to-follow meal plan for ourselves, which will give us a much higher chance of integrating this new healthy 

May and her sticks

 May is in her cycle and is gathering sticks to bring into the house for her bed

 Two cards that I created called fractured front cards.  Watched this technique on Stamping on the back porch.

Canal Days, August 6th 2023

Wolf took me to Canal Days in Port Colbourne yesterday.  I was a little disappointed.  There was a lot of food booths and the food looked and smelled delicious.  There was no place to sit except on the ground behind the booths or walking around holding the food and trying not to bump into anyone.  The vendor booths had nothing new to show.  We did see the large cruise ship that is travelling through the Welland Canal.  The most of stores were very gracious in offering water for Loco (our dog) everyone wanted to pet him.  Loco is a service dog but one store asked us to leave because there was not enough room in the store for the people who where just looking.  One gentleman bought a bottle of water and poured some into his hand for Loco to have a drink.  I did buy another cute piggy

2. Learn to Self-Soothe

We will always have stress in our lives. That’s just life, it comes with its ups and downs. As a result, we will have both positive and negative emotions. The trick is to discover ways to self-soothe and cope with those negative emotions when they come (because they will) in a positive, productive, and sustainable manner. Both negative and positive feelings have an equally important part in our human development and growth, and learning how to effectively manage difficult emotions strengthens our emotional wellbeing.  Some of the best self-care for self-soothing examples: journaling, meditation, mindful walking, exercising, coloring, taking a cold or hot shower, and saying positive coping statements to 

Sunday Self Care Tip

Your Sunday Self Care Tip.

Sleep deficiency has several detrimental effects on our mental and physical health, including cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and impaired cognitive performance. Optimizing and prioritizing our sleep habits improves mood, mental and physical performance, metabolism, and energy levels.  Getting on a consistent sleep schedule, monitoring caffeine intake, eliminating screens at least 30 minutes before bedtime, creating a before-bed relaxation routine- all can make a huge difference in the quality of our physical and mental health.

Christmas shaker card

 Christmas Shaker card made by me,