Day 18-Eden Love Belly

I wasn't feeling very inspired to take a picture of my belly yesterday because of the bloated one from the day before. So I asked folks on Facebook if anyone would like to stand-in for me today. I was offering a gift of homemade gingered candies as an incentive. I got three responses (one was of a kitty belly).  So I will post one today and one tomorrow.

Beautiful Eden
Eden makes the most magical raw super food I have ever eaten. She sent in this beautiful photo of her belly just a week before she gave birth to her daughter Indigo.

Eden Love, and Indigo safely snuggled in her mama's belly.

For anyone interested in purchasing any of Eden's magical raw super foods...

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Love-Alive/138417719528419

Her newest addition is the Raw Herbal Superfood Chakra Honey. I have tried every one of these Chakra Honeys. A taste of bliss with every spoonful. I got the full set because I couldn't decide which one I loved the most. Food for the belly and soul.




PS. For the record, I did take a picture of my belly. See below.

before the bath

Day 17-Bloated Belly

I was feeling lazy yesterday and my belly was bloated from something I ate. I had some of the digestive treat that I made with candied Ginger, Fennel seeds and bitter orange peel and went to bed. This was a hard picture for me to post, but it shows how bloated my belly can get from certain foods. I wish I knew what I ate.

Day 16-Purple Baby Blanket

photo by Luanne Kloster

"I too loved my time carrying my children...sacred vessels these bellies of ours...and I've had losses too, and know the feeling of aloneness that brings (I know that isn't a real word, but it fits the feeling in a way that loneliness can't)..." -K


I read this comment written by friend last night about the picture from Day 2-Babies Are Miracles. It made me think about the purple baby blanket I crocheted in 1998. I took the blanket out of the hope chest and started taking pictures. In February of that year, I found out I was pregnant. After several miscarriages, I was nervous by happy. Unfortunately, I was in the hospital a few days later because it was an ectopic pregnancy. While I was recovering, I started crocheting a baby blanket. I thought it would help me through the "aloneness" and sadness. It helped, but time was the best remedy.

I am now entering the menopause years and thinking about how old I will be when I become a grandmother. The blanket somehow feels different in my hands now.


For anyone who may need some support, I found this wonderful site.

http://www.nationalshare.org/index.html

Day 15-Winter Blues Belly

photo by Nels Kloster

With the recent changes in daylight, I am beginning to miss the warm, sunny days of summer.  For some of us, the increasing darkness brings a noticeable down turn of mood, and with that a dread of becoming depressed in the depths of winter.  This is common enough that it has a name, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).  It is a type of depression that is brought on by the effects of a lack of natural light.  Like depression, sleep, appetite, joy and energy are affected.
I have suffered from Seasonal Affective Disorder since I was a teenager. I am once again starting to feel the effects of it. I tried antidepressants in the past. The process of trial and error to find the right antidepressant was difficult.  And then, my decision to wean off it when winter months were over, was worse then the depression itself. I tried taking antidepressants year-round, but found  the side effects intolerable.  I have decided the best way for me to conquer SAD is by being pro-active. This is a list of what I do to get through the winter. It is not by any means meant for everyone. I would suggest consulting a health care professional if you think you suffer from SAD.

-Nourishing herbs. I drink a quart of either Nettles (Urtica dioica) or Oatstraw (Avena satvia) infusion every day throughout the year. This is my favorite addition to keeping healthy (I will have a full write-up on my other blog soon).
-Nourishing foods. My winter diet includes, garlic, ginger and onions every day. 
-Vitamin D3 supplements. I get my Vitamin D levels tested in the beginning of winter to determine the amount I should take. My levels have been extremely low every year.
-Getting in the sun as much as possible or using a full spectrum light in the mornings.
-Staying physically active.
-Staying socially active.
-My future goal, to spend the winters in Hawaii.

Day 14-Tree Hugging Belly

photo by Connor Kloster © 2011 - All rights reserved

TREES
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree
A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray,
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair
Upon whose blossom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems were made by fools like me
But only God can make a tree.
­

-Joyce Kilmer


Joyce Kilmer wrote this poem just a few miles from where I grew up. He wasn't writing about one particular tree but about trees in general. Trees of my childhood. Maple trees, Oak trees and Birch trees.



And yes, I cheated today. This was taken the day before. But for the record, I did take a picture of my belly yesterday, it just wasn't as nice as this ones that Connor has been taking. It is hard taking a picture of yourself hugging a tree.

Day 13-Prayers of Gratitude

photo by Connor Kloster © 2011 - All rights reserved

I went to bed last night with a full belly.
A belly full of delicious food I shared with my loving family and friends.

I went to bed last night with a heart filled with gratitude.

Day 13-Prayers of Gratitude

I went to bed last night with a full belly.
Full of love and full of delicious food.

I went to bed last night full of gratitude.